McGonagall's Girl
by leahcar197
Summary: Minerva McGonagall had no children of her own, but that didn't mean that she wasn't a mother.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone! While I was thinking of ideas for my Ouran fic, I came up with this beauty! This was beta-read by two of my friends. Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**_

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><p>"The stars at night they all shine bright<br>"And darling so do you  
>"You are my child of moonlight and I'll always love you~," Jamie sang slowly and quietly to her one month old bundle of joy, Arden, in her arms. She had finally managed to get her daughter to sleep early.<p>

"She's so…"Alex started, staring in awe at his wife and daughter.

"Perfect," Jamie whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead as she slept.

Alex smiled, kissing his wife and daughter's cheeks, "Took the words right out of my mouth." Jamie smiled and, carefully, put Arden on their bed.

"I could watch her sleep forever…"Jamie sighed happily.

Alex stood behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist. He put his head on her shoulder, "She's gorgeous." He kissed his wife's neck, "You're an amazing mother."

Jamie patted his cheek, "And you're the best dad in the world."

Alex turned Jamie around in his arms so that she was facing him, "I love you more than Hagrid wants a dragon."

Jamie smiled and kissed her husband, "I love you more than Dumbledore loves Hogwarts."

They were about to kiss again when their floo alarm went off. Alex pecked her forehead, "Must be the newlyweds. I'll get them, you make sure the purse has everything." Alex walked out of their room, leaving Jamie with her sleeping daughter.

Jamie smiled, trying to memorize every little freckle on her daughter's pale skin. It seemed as though Arden inherited very little from her mother. Alex insisted that Arden got the majority of her features from her, but Jamie disagreed. The pale skin lightly dusted with freckles, thick hair the color of dark chocolate, amber colored eyes, even her high cheekbones; Arden inherited all of that from Alex. '_I could stare at you forever…_'Jamie thought happily.

"Jamie, is she ready?" She heard a soft feminine voice ask from the doorway. Jamie spun around to see one of her best friends, Lily Evans-Potter, leaning against the doorframe in a very James Potter-esque manner.

Jamie smiled, walking over and hugging her friend, "Thank you _so_ much for agreeing to watch her for a bit tonight!"

Lily grinned, "No problem. James and I needed a bit of time off from the Order, and you two need some downtime too. Being a mom hard?"

Jamie shrugged, "It's a labor of love." She walked over to a purse lying on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to Lily, "This has an Undetectable Extension charm on it. It's full of diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, her cot, bottles of pumped milk in a cooler—warm it up in hot water and test it on the inside of your wrist, her burping cloth, and her favorite teddy." Jamie gently, picked up Arden.

Lily ushered Jamie out of the room, closing the door behind her. The girls walked down the stairs, hearing their husbands chattering in the living room.

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><p>Minerva McGonagall, a tall, skinny, 43 year old Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, ran up to Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's office. She was abruptly woken up by an owl tapping on her window with a letter for her from the Ministry concerning two of her friends. Thus, she wasn't dressed in her usual emerald cloak. Instead, she was dressed in a red and gold dressing gown with her long black hair free from the confines of its usual bun.<p>

Minerva gave the gargoyle guarding the staircase the current password, "Fizzy Pop" and sprinted up the stairs. She threw the doors open without care for whatever he was doing and demanded, "Albus, is it true? Are they really?"

Albus Dubledore, a 97-year-old man with a silver beard so long he could tuck it into his belt, gave a pitying look to his former student. His blue eyes twinkled with sadness. He closed them and said, "I'm sorry, Minerva."

Minerva broke. She sat in the chair in front of his desk, brought her hands up to her face and sobbed, her black hair falling around her face. Albus stood and walked over to the broken woman. He placed a hand upon her shaking back, rubbing it in circles. "Why, Albus? Why them? They just had her not two months ago…"

"I know, Minerva…But, there is good news, she survived."

Minerva looked up at her friend, "What?"

Albus gave a sad smile, "Their daughter survived. James and Lily were babysitting her while Alex and Jamie had a night to themselves."

Minerva was confused, "But that means…"

Albus nodded, "She's yours now."

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><p>Minerva flooed to the Ministry the next morning; luckily it was the beginning of the summer holidays. She had two months to figure out how she was going to teach and take care of her infant goddaughter. She walked into the building and was sent to an office where she was to fill out forms that would give her full custody of her goddaughter, Arden Greyson.<p>

As she walked down the expansive halls of the Ministry, she was met with many pitying looks and whispers. She knew that it was no secret that she was close to Alex and Jamie, anyone that spent five minutes in her class could see that. The two were gifted at Transfiguration, so she offered, as Albus had once done for her, to teach them how to become Animagi. They became very close in the following months. So close, in fact, that they elected her to be their daughter's godmother.

Minerva bit the inside of her lip as the more brave souls of the Ministry staff came up to personally give their condolences. She thanked each of them in turn, excusing herself to walk ever so slightly faster to reach the empty office reserved for her. Upon reaching said office, Minerva placed several silencing spells and protective spells on the walls before breaking down once more. Her friends were dead…they might not have been the first, but they most certainly weren't the last. '_How many more? Merlin, please tell me, how many more?_'

Two hours and several cases of intense writer's cramp later, Minerva McGonagall, gladly, left the Ministry and apparated to the Potter's house.

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><p><span><em><strong>That's it for now, my darlings! Pretty please review!<strong>_


	2. Chapter 2

Minerva was about to knock on the door when she spotted a note taped to it. "Come in, Professor McGonagall," was written in the unmistakable, barely legible scrawl of James Potter. She turned the knob and stepped past the threshold. She looked around and it seemed as though no one was home, or it would have if it weren't for the sobs echoing from upstairs.

Minerva followed her ears up the stairs and down the hallway until she reached an open door. She looked inside and spotted Lily Evans-Potter sitting on the edge of, what Minerva guessed to be, her's and James' bed, sobbing her heart out. Minerva stood in the doorway, holding back her own tears, not only at the loss of her friends or seeing someone as strong as Lily absolutely devastated at the loss of her friends, but in the face of reality. The reality that she would never again see Jamie and Alex, the reality that their daughter, Arden, would grow up without them hit Minerva like a rampaging Hungarian Horntail in mating season.

'_I have to be strong right now. Be strong for Lily,_' Minerva repeated to herself as she took calming breaths. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to the red-head, wrapping her arms around Lily and let her sob into her cloak.

Lily, surprised, looked up at the Transfiguration professor with her watery green eyes, "Professor McGonagall?"

Minerva gave the younger girl a sad smile, "I miss them too, Lily, but they weren't the first, and they are definitely not the last. You need to be brave, or did you get sorted into the wrong house?"

Lily gave the older woman a watery half smile and nodded. She stood and said, "I'll get Arden now." She walked out of the room, but upon reaching the doorway she turned her head, "Professor?" Minerva looked questioningly at her, "Thank you."

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><p>As a teacher at, quite possibly, the best Wizardry school in all of the Wizarding World, Minerva had more than enough money to support herself and another person. Some of the professors had their own homes, but most, including Minerva, stayed at the school year round. It was simply easier that way, as they spend about 80% of the year there working anyway. But, with an infant to raise, Minerva decided that she needed her own home to raise the child.<p>

Minerva, with Arden in her arms, after changing into her Muggle clothes, walked into the office of an apartment complex in Muggle London. She had decided that growing up in the Muggle world with some Wizarding world influence would be best for Arden. She would see the pros and cons of both societies, get an appreciation for magic that most wizards took for granted, and also see what her parents died fighting for.

Minerva walked up to the welcome desk and was immediately greeted by an overly happy blonde woman dressed entirely in neon yellow. "Hello! Welcome to Benningham Towers! I'm Jenny, how can I be of service today?" Jenny then noticed the baby in Minerva's arms. "Aww, who's this little cutie?" she bent down and reached out to touch Arden.

Arden shifted in Minerva's arms, trying to get away from Jenny. Her face scrunched up in annoyance when she realized that she was being restrained. So, as all babies do when they don't like something, Arden started crying.

Jenny looked appalled at how the baby seemed to be disgusted by her. She immediately pulled her hand back while Minerva pulled Arden closer to herself and started shushing her, bouncing her in a calming manner. "Sweetie, it's alright. I've got you, calm down."

But, Arden simply squirmed and writhed, not wanting Minerva to calm her. She wanted to get away from the strange smiley lady in the obscene color. It hurt her sensitive eyes to look at the yellow woman. Eventually, she decided that the yellow lady got the point and calmed down, clutching what of Minerva's black clothes she could in her tiny fists.

"I'm sorry, she's not normally like this. I'm looking to get a two bedroom apartment."

Jenny seemed to be pleased, smiled again, "Of course! We have two open, actually! Right this way!" She led Minerva to a lift and pressed the button for the second floor of the three-story building. As the doors closed, Jenny decided to comment, "Your daughter is really cute! Is your husband going to be joining us?"

Minerva bit her tongue, refusing to show any sign of weakness in front of this woman. "Thank you, she's my _goddaughter,_" Minerva said curtly to the woman, but Jenny didn't seem to acknowledge that Minerva had said anything.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to room 208, "Here we are! I'm sure you and your daughter will be very happy here!" She put her key in the lock and opened the door. She let Minerva in first and started babbling on and on about the useless amenities whilst Minerva studied what would be changed if she moved in.

However, one vital component of her plans to move off Hogwarts grounds was missing. She had gotten permission from the Ministry to link whatever apartment she decided to rent to the Floo Network, and Albus assured her that her normal duties as a professor (eg: being at every meal and making nightly rounds) would be alleviated until she got into the swing of raising a child on top of her normal workload. "Is there an apartment with a fireplace available?" Minerva asked Jenny.

Jenny stumbled over her words in a rush, "Oh absolutely! It's a bit higher price, but I assure you it is worth every pound!" She opened the door and led Minerva to the elevator, once again.

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><p>"And done! Alright," Jenny said standing up from her desk and tapping the papers on the desk to straighten them, "You're all set. Congratulations, Ms. McGonagall, you are now an official resident of apartment 303. Oh, and congratulations to you too, Arden." Jenny shot an unnaturally white smile at Arden, causing the girl to start fussing again.<p>

She was getting more and more fussy the longer the day went on. She was driving Minerva up the wall. Minerva gave Jenny a slight smile, which was more of a grimace. "I'll be moving my things in tonight," she notified the blonde.

"Ok! Will you be needing any-"

"No, no thank you. I think we have things from here."

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><p>"Wingardium Leviosa," Minerva cast the spell on the dresser in Arden's new room, moving it from one wall to another. She looked over at Arden to see her smiling whilst staring in awe at her godmother's talents. Minerva inwardly grinned rather smugly, pleased that her goddaughter saw something as simple as a levitation charm absolutely astounding. Then again, she was still a baby.<p>

"Now, what color do you want your room, darling?" Minerva asked Arden, getting on her knees in front of the baby in the fairy bouncer. Minerva waved her wand and several color swatches appeared in her hands. She held them out in front of Arden, "Do you want pink?" She held out the pastel pink swatch, taking it away when Arden's face crinkled in disgust. She laughed, "Alright, no pink. What about yellow?" She took that away too, "No yellow either. Green…" and that's how it went until Minerva picked up purple and saw Arden's face light up. "Purple it is!"

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><p>Minerva smiled at the sleeping infant in her arms as she rocked back and forth on the new rocking chair that she had conjured for Arden's room. Minerva took advantage of this quiet time that she had alone with Arden to admire her. She already adored every little freckle on the baby's pale skin, every soft dark brown curl on her head, her tiny fist that clutched Minerva's finger so tightly even in her sleep, every little thing about this girl amazed Minerva more than anything ever could.<p>

Arden's face scrunched up in her sleep and her hand let go of Minerva's finger. Her large eyes opened to reveal a stunning shade of amber that stood out brightly in contrast to her dark chocolate brown hair. Those eyes…Minerva had only once before seen a shade that vibrant, Alex Greyson's eyes were the only other amber eyes that particular shade. Minerva gave the little girl a sad smile and kissed her forehead, "It's just the two of us from now on, sweetie."

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><p><strong>There's Chapter 2, my lovelies! Sorry it took me so long, I needed to get some time alone to write this. Being a college student with a roommate, it takes a while...Well, Review pretty please with treacle tart on top?!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Death Eaters killed Jamie and Alex Greyson; the spell they used to murder the young couple was unknown, but largely suspected to be the Killing Curse. The Death Eaters whom had caused the untimely deaths of the Greysons were suspected to be the Carrow twins.

In their will, Jamie and Alex had previously arranged to be cremated and wished for their ashes to be buried along with a seed, so there would be some sort of place for Arden to visit in the future. There wasn't a funeral, just an ash scattering ceremony, if one could even call it that. Their ashes were buried behind their home in Montrose. Minerva chose a Scottish whitebeam to be planted with their ashes, knowing that it would stand out. As their parents had died during the war as well, Arden had no living blood relatives.

The night after the ash scattering, Minerva had put Arden to sleep and headed back to her room, leaving both her bedroom door and Arden's wide open. She climbed into her bed, ready to sleep after a tiring day.

Minerva had succeeded in getting about an hour's worth of sleep before she heard loud crying coming from Arden's room. She leapt out of bed and practically flew to her goddaughter's room. Arden was screaming; her face scrunched up in distress and her little limbs flying everywhere. Minerva picked her up, bouncing Arden gently up and down, back and forth, while pacing in a circle. Arden simply would not calm down. Minerva knew that she had already been fed…what else could it be? She hesitantly checked her nappy, clean as a whistle and no trace of nappy rash. Minerva tried burping her to no avail. She checked the baby's temperature, completely normal. So, Minerva decided to try magic.

She took Arden with her to her room and gently propped her upright with pillows before performing some showy spells for Arden. She even turned to her animagus form. Yet, Arden would not stop screaming. Minerva was at a loss. Something deep in Minerva knew that she was doing everything right but she wasn't who Arden wanted right then. Arden wanted her parents, and she would never get them. Tears sprung up in Minerva's eyes, knowing that the one thing that Arden needed most was taken from her. A thought occurred to Minerva, maybe…just maybe…no, she had to be crazy, right? There's no way that that would work…but it was bloody well worth a try. Minerva summoned the album. She pulled the still screaming baby into her arms and opened the book to show her pictures, magical ones of course, of her parents. Immediately, Arden stopped crying and reached out to one of the pictures in front of her. Minerva smiled, it might not have been her parents, but it sated her just seeing them. Right then, in that moment, Minerva vowed to herself to be the best bloody godmother that she could be for Arden.

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><p><span><strong>One Month Later<strong>

Minerva was pacing up and down in front of Albus' desk. Arden was sleeping in her Muggle portable cot. What did they call it? A car-seat? Whatever it was, it had a handle and she was always safely strapped in. It certainly looked comfortable enough, what with its rainbow polka dots and cushions. Just to be sure, though, Minerva cast a cushioning charm on it, and a warming charm, now and again, to make sure she was perfectly content whenever Minerva wasn't holding her.

Minerva was talking to Albus as she paced, "I can't do this, Albus. I can't teach and take care of her simultaneously. She's an infant! She needs my constant attention! I don't want to stop teaching, but Arden needs me. What can I do? I could hire a baby sitter, but she's so picky. You should have seen her when we met this horrid woman at the flat office. The woman tried to touch her and she started wailing. We hadn't even been there two minutes-"

"Minerva, calm down!" he snapped, causing McGonagall to stop pacing. She turned to her mentor, who gestured to the seat across from him and next to where Arden was sitting. "Sit," he commanded, which Minerva did not hesitate to obey. "Now," Dumbledore said, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward so that his chin rested atop his hands. "Minerva, I understand your concerns, but you're being crazy. Arden isn't at the age that she needs constant stimulation. She just needs someone to feed her, change her, and occasionally play with her. I know," he lifted a hand to stop Minerva from protesting, "It is much more complex than that, but those are the basics as I understand them. Now then, you need someone to watch her while you teach, and I am more than willing. I believe that little Arden is more than willing for me to watch her," he gestured to her goddaughter.

Minerva took a quick glance at Arden, who was gurgling happily in her seat, reaching out to Dumbledore with her stubby baby hands. Minerva's heart warmed merely at the sight of her goddaughter, whether it was her maternal instincts or just the fact that Arden was the child of her dear friends was negligible. Arden was hers now, and she adored her. The fact that she seemed willing to trust Dumbledore, her best friend of many years and former professor, just made Minerva love her even more.

Minerva thought about it for a bit, then decided, "Alright. Let's give it a try."

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><p>Arden stared curiously up at Minerva from her car-seat. Why was she back in the room with all the pictures that talked? What could she possibly be doing here? Why was the old smiley man talking to the pictures? Arden might have liked him, but he was weird. Minerva picked Arden up, something that made Arden angry. She scowled in distaste at Minerva's actions. Minerva smiled and kissed her forehead before handing her to the smiley man.<p>

"Arden, Professor Dumbledore is going to watch you for a couple of hours, ok? I'll be back soon," Minerva said to the little girl, who really had no say in the situation. She glanced up at Albus, "Are you sure about this, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore seemed slightly offended, "Of course, Professor McGonagall, she's just a baby. I am more than capable of caring for her for a few hours."

She nodded uncertainly and walked to her office to send letters to all of the incoming first year students.

Dumbledore walked to the comfiest chair he had in his office and sat down, setting Arden in his lap. He picked up his wand, "Accio Tales of Beedle the Bard," and an old, well-worn book flew to his hand. He heard giggling coming from his lap and looked down, Arden was…laughing. The sound intrigued and astounded him. He was gripped with a desire to have her make that sound again. He pointed his wand at the book, "Wingardium Leviosa," and made the book fly across the room, careful to avoid all of his tchotchkes. Again, Arden was laughing, the sound was almost melodic. Dumbledore was hard pressed to say that it wasn't the most beautiful sound he had ever had the pleasure of being witness to. He laughed along with her and spelled the book to dance on the table in front of them.

After a good few minutes of entertaining Arden with magic, Dumbledore decided that he should save some of the tricks he had up his sleeve for another date. He picked up the dancing book and held it in front of Arden. "How would you like to hear some fables from Beedle the Bard?" he asked the child in his lap. He charmed the book so that the stories would play out in front of her (**AN: think the beginning scene with the trolls in Frozen where the old troll makes lights play out scenes in the sky.**) "Now then, Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump-"

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><p>It was well after five o'clock when McGonagall was finished, she had left Arden with Dumbledore at around nine. McGonagall made her way, anxiously, from her office to Dumbledore's. She left Dumbledore with everything that Arden would need on a normal day, so she hoped that he had fed and changed her, at least. She opened the door to see Albus showing her goddaughter a photo-album of some sort. "We were just standing there covered in honey with an angry hippogriff chasing my owl while Professor Dippet was arguing with the giant squid," Dumbledore was telling Arden with a nostalgic smile on his face. He looked up and saw Minerva standing there, watching them, "But, I think that's a story for another time, your godmother is here." He picked her up and handed her over to Minerva. "She was an absolute pleasure to have."<p>

McGonagall buckled Arden into her seat, "I would hope so." She gathered the rest of Arden's things with a quick wave of her wand.

Dumbledore shot Minerva a look, "Professor McGonagall…" he trailed off.

"Ok, I agree this is the best option. She seems to adore you, Albus," she admitted.

Dumbledore shot her a smile, "Well then, I suppose I shall see you and little Arden in the fall."

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><p><strong><em><span>Well, there's Chapter 3. It seems like you guys are enjoying this story so...YAY! *dances the happy dance* I just wish you guys would review, that would seriously make my day (and maybe make the next chapter come out sooner...hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge).<span>_**

**_Shout outs for favoriting go to: EarthTiger, Namesarestupid95, and Tillie Kate!_**

**_Shout outs for following go to: EarthTiger, Namesarestupid95, LBStar, and ladychris07!_**

**_Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter! Bye everyone!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey everyone! Welcome to chapter 4 of McGonagall's Girl! I know I've said this a lot, but I'd LOVE it if you guys could review this fic. I've worked really hard on it and I'm not feeling too confidant about it...So, yeah...Here it is.**_

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><p>3 years later<p>

"Minnie, do I have to?" Arden asked nervously, clutching her godmother's hand in a vice grip as she stared up at the building. Her dark chocolate curls, pulled back from her face by a red headband, hung down her back and stopped just before her hips. She was in a black dress and red flats. She had a teddy-bear backpack on, which was filled to bursting with her books. In her free hand was a lunch bag.

"Arden, it's just Muggle pre-school," McGonagall chided, gesturing to the pastel yellow building they were walking up to, "You'll be fine." She towed Arden into the building.

A stout brunette woman was sat behind the front desk, reading a magazine filled with baby products. She had large, warm blue eyes set into her kind face. She looked up as the bell above the door rang. "Oh!" she waddled out from behind the desk, revealing her large, pregnant belly. "Welcome!" she shook McGonagall's hand, "I'm Rebecca Russo, the director of Austen Academy."

Minerva smiled, "Minerva McGonagall, pleased to meet you. I believe we spoke on the phone?"

Rebecca nodded, "Yes, I believe so." She glanced down at Arden, who hid behind Minerva's legs, and smiled, "Who might you be, sweetheart?"

Arden clutched Minerva as if she were a lifeline and hid her face in her red dress. Minerva tutted, "Arden, are you going to introduce yourself?" Arden shook her head, tugging on Minerva's dress, trying to coerce her to leave. She wanted to go back to Hogwarts, stay in Grandpa Albus' room and read while Minerva taught her lessons. She didn't understand why she couldn't do that. She had been doing that for as long as she could remember. Why did she have to go to Muggle pre-school when Grandpa Albus liked having her around? Tears welled up in her large amber eyes. Did Grandpa hate her? Had she done something wrong and now she's being punished for it?

Minerva didn't notice that Arden had started crying and just told Rebecca her name. She bent down to face Arden, "I'll pick you up when classes are done for the day, ok?" Arden furiously shook her head and buried her face into Minerva's shoulder, linking her hands behind the older woman's neck. Minerva picked Arden up, "We'll be back in a minute."

Rebecca shook her head in shock, "Of course, take as long as you need." What had shocked her was that Arden didn't start throwing a tantrum, like every other child did when being dropped off for the first time.

Minerva walked Arden outside and sat her on a bench in front of the school. She bent down to be at Arden's eye level. "Arden Jamie Greyson, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Arden shook her head, staring into her lap, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. Minerva sighed, "Arden, love, I can't do anything unless you tell me."

Arden said, so quietly that Minerva almost didn't hear, "I'm sorry…"

"What?" Minerva was stupefied, "What in Merlin's name are you sorry about?"

Arden looked up at her godmother, her watery eyes overflowing more than she was crying, "Whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry! Please don't make me stay here! I promise I'll be good!" she pleaded.

Minerva smiled, shaking her head at the pure innocence of her goddaughter, "Darling, you did nothing wrong, I just need you to stay here while I teach. It's safe, you'll make friends, and you'll learn. Muggles like it when children read. Ok?" She pet Arden's brown curls away from her tearstained face.

Arden nodded, nervous but accepting of Minnie's reasoning. "Why can't I stay in Grandpa Albus' room?

"Because I want you to make fiends your own age."

"What if I accidently do magic?"

"Muggles won't understand. They'll come up with some convoluted reason behind whatever happened and disregard it." Arden nodded in understanding. "Ready to go back?"

"Ok…"

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><p>Rebecca led McGonagall and Arden to a classroom labeled "Otters". "Here we are," Rebecca said, opening the door to let Minerva and Arden in first.<p>

The room itself was…interesting, to say the least, in Arden's opinion. The walls were completely covered in murals of cartoon-style otters playing with one another. But, the view of said murals were intermittently interrupted by children's drawings pasted around here and there. The room had a sliding glass door leading to a playground on the back wall. The floor was made of polished wood, and completely covered in tables, chairs, toys, and children playing. The adult woman who was observing the children, Arden guessed was the teacher. She was elderly, stout, but reminded Arden a bit of Professor Sprout. She had a kind face, long grey hair, and sparkling green eyes. Arden was still uneasy about being left here.

Minerva squeezed Arden's shoulder, "Arden, I'm leaving now." Arden looked up at her and nodded in understanding. Minnie bent down to hug her goddaughter, kissing her forehead. "See you after class, love." She stood back to her full height and walked out, turning around to give one last wave to Arden.

Rebecca smiled at Arden, "Ready to meet everyone?" Arden shrugged, not particularly caring. "Let's go!" Rebecca grinned, taking hold of Arden's hand and leading her to the flock of children. "Attention, everyone!" the children all looked up, curiously, at Rebecca, "This," she nudged Arden forward, "Is our new friend, Arden Greyson, please be nice to her!" After introducing Arden, Rebecca left Arden in the flock of children, which subjected her to the scrutinization of other children.

Arden had no clue how to interact with other kids. She noticed that all of them had already formed little groups and never ventured out of them. She decided to do the one thing she knew was socially acceptable, read. Arden sat at one of the few unoccupied tables, opened her teddy-backpack and pulled out of the chapter books she was muddling through. It was starting to get really good.

She had been reading for about half an hour when, "Hi, I'm Dan!" Arden looked up from her place in the book and saw a blonde boy with freckles and brown eyes smiling down at her. "You're Arden, right?" Arden nodded, curious as to why this Dan kid was speaking to her. "Want to play with me?"

Arden was stupefied; she had no clue how to reply. Someone wanted to _play with her_? She just stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded, a smile forming on her face "Sure! Let's play!"

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><p><span>One week later<span>

Arden and Dan had become fast friends. They were practically attached at the hip most days.

Dan, as Arden had learned, came from a larger family (two brothers and a sister on the way). He was almost always playing with anything he could get his hands on.

Arden, as Dan had learned, was an only child and was living with her godmother, Minerva (Minnie, as Arden called her). He had asked his mother what would cause someone to be living with their godparents. She asked him, shocked, why he needed to know that. So, he told her about Arden. She told him, gently, that perhaps her parents took a very, _very_, long trip and couldn't bring Arden. Dan accepted that, but avoided asking Arden, for fear of upsetting her.

Arden had really started to enjoy Muggle pre-school, well…except for naptime. She just sat and read instead of sleeping, which angered Miss Laci (the teacher). She had tried to discuss the matter with Arden, but the three year-old just would not listen. Miss Laci hated when children defied her wishes. She decided that Arden needed to be taught a lesson.

When Arden walked into class the eleventh day, Miss Laci tried to take her teddy-backpack. Arden struggled, writhed, and fought against her, trying to keep it on. She hugged herself so that the straps wouldn't come off. She fought so hard and got so upset that her magic came out. Suddenly, Miss Laci was thrown backwards against the wall, knocking her out.

Arden found herself transported to the roof. There was no way onto the roof, no ladder or anything. The entire building was one story; there wasn't even an attic. Arden was terrified, but tried to keep calm. Her Minnie would come to get her…right? She had to. So, to distract herself, Arden decided to read. She sat down, pulled out a book, and started reading.

Soon after, Arden spotted some people from the Ministry of Magic walk into Austen Academy. None of them seemed to have spotted her, which both pleased and upset the three year-old. She figured she should probably catch their attention somehow so that they could get her down. After almost an hour later, two workers walked out and seemed to be looking for something, or someone. Arden decided to get their attention.

"Excuse me!" Arden yelled, catching the attention of the Ministry workers, "Sorry to be a bother but…I'm kind of stuck up here…So…can you please get me down?"

One of the two Ministry workers yelled, "Hold on, sweetie. I'll be right up." She spun on her heel and apparated next to Arden. "Ok, sweetheart, are you Arden Greyson?" Arden nodded and the lady smiled. She held out her hand, "Hold on tight, love. We're apparating. Have you ever done this before?" Arden shook her head, "Ok, it might make you a bit sick." She spun on her heel and Arden felt like she was being squeezed through a tiny tube.

She suddenly found herself standing on the ground again. She felt a bit nauseous, but otherwise fine. Arden smiled up at the lady, "Thank you," but then her face fell, "I'm not in trouble am I?" she asked worriedly.

The Ministry workers chuckled. The one who took Arden off the roof said, "Of course not, sweetie. We obliviated everyone. Your teacher believes that she got into a car crash this morning. We modified the desk Muggle, Rebecca's, memory so that she thinks that she was teaching your class today. She doesn't remember you coming to school, nor do any of your classmates. We're going to take you with us and contact your godmother, ok?" Arden nodded and followed them.

* * *

><p>Minerva was surprised, to say the least, that Arden's teacher would do that. She was going to have a word with this 'Miss Laci' woman as soon as she could. At the moment, though, Miss Laci was in hospital because Arden's magic gave her a severe concussion. She wasn't angry at Arden, she acted just like any other child would…well…any child with magic that is.<p>

Arden was on the ground playing with the same woman that helped her off the roof. This particular Auror was Emily Everstone. She was a tall, short-haired, ginger. One would think that she was part of the Weasley family, but she didn't have nearly as many freckles, she was a Muggleborn, and her eyes were too brown. When Minerva walked in, Arden turned grinned, and threw herself at Minerva, hugging the woman.

Emily smiled, "She's such a sweet girl. You really lucked out there, Professor McGonagall."

Minerva nodded, "Thank you for keeping an eye on her. Sorry about what happened today."

Emily shook her head, "Not at all. When Arden explained what went down, and we checked her memories, that Laci woman was out of line. There's no charges or anything. Just a simple case of protective accidental magic.

Minerva nodded and turned her attention to the three year-old clinging to her, "Ready to go, sweetheart?"

Arden smiled up at Minerva, "Yep! Bye, Miss Emily, thanks for everything!"

Emily smiled, "See you later, sweetie." Little did Arden know, that would be the only time she would ever see Emily. Emily would be killed in a Death Eater raid that night when she went home.

* * *

><p><span>Early morning of November 1st, 1981<span>

Minerva McGonagall was playing on the floor with Arden when an owl from the Daily Prophet flew in through the window. Minerva quickly untied the letter and let the owl fly off. She took one look at the headline before, rapidly, giving Arden her teddy. She said that she'd be right back and left the room with haste.

Upon reading the headline, Minerva's heart was broken for the second time in two years. She laid her head in her hands and sobbed. Lily and James Potter were dead and their son, Harry, was an orphan, just like Arden.

Speaking of Arden, she wasn't about to let Minnie just leave without explaining exactly what was going on. She stood up and ran out of the room, following her godmother to the kitchen. She watched in shock from behind a half-wall in their apartment as Minnie broke down. What could make her strong Minnie break like that? The only time that she saw Minnie sad at all was when Minnie caught her looking at pictures of her mummy and daddy. Was this about her mummy and daddy? She cautiously snuck up behind Minnie, climbed up on one of the chairs, and took the newspaper off of the table. She opened it and read the headline.

**_Baby Harry James Potter Defeats Dark Lord_**

Who was this Harry kid, and who was the Dark Lord? She's heard Minnie mention this guy called You-Know-Who, but Arden disregarded it. Whoever called themselves that instead of some really cool name like iGod or Mushroom Mad Man (she really despised mushrooms, they were gross) was stupid. A name like You-Know-Who didn't bring any sense of dread or forthcoming doom. This guy who called himself Dark Lord, he knew how to scare people. She liked him better as a villain than the You-Know-Who wimp. This Harry kid, she wanted to meet him. She read the rest of the article as best she could with her higher-than-average-yet-still-not-up-to-Minnie's-level reading level. She got caught a few times, but got the gist of what was going on. Apparently, You-Know-Who-weenie-butt was the Dark Lord dude, and he was defeated by a one year-old baby named Harry Potter after he killed the kid's parents, James and Lily. She remembered meeting Lily and James a couple of times. From what Minnie told her, Lily and James were babysitting her the night that her parents died. So, she was grateful to them for keeping her alive that night and did enjoy playing with James and his friend Sirius now and again. She hadn't seen Lily since she had the baby, and she didn't bother asking what his name was, as it was deemed as unimportant information that wouldn't matter in the long run. Well, now it apparently was important as somehow this kid defeated You-Know-Who-stupid -head.

Arden turned to her godmother, who was still shaking in silent sobs. She put the paper back on the table and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing it back and forth. "Minnie…" she said comfortingly. Minerva looked up at her goddaughter, slightly shocked that she didn't listen to what she told her, she always did before. Arden looked at her godmother with warm amber eyes, "I'm sorry…about James and Lily…"

Minerva shook her head, petting Arden's soft brown curls, "It's not your fault, dear." She checked the clock, "We need to go."

Arden scowled slightly at that. Minnie said that she could skip school today. She really wanted to play with Minnie. She didn't want to go to school. "Why?"

"I need to see to something."

"Why?"

"Because I do."

"Why?"

"Arden, dear, I really need to do this because I said so. Now get your bag ready to go to school," she said in a snappy tone, pointing in the direction of Arden's room. Arden hung her head and nodded, leaving the room.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>There's chapter 4. Please review!<strong>_

_**Shout out time!**_

_**Shout outs go to: kittyitty6 for favoriting!**_

_**See you in chapter 5!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: Hello there, everyone! Welcome to Chapter 5! I'd like to take this time to do my shout outs before the end of the chapter!**_

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**_Shout Outs for Favoriting Go To: alyssanicole420 and ChibiCheshire! You two are fantastic; absolutely fantastic!_**

**_Ok, onto the story!_**

* * *

><p><span>Later Nov. 1, 1981:<span>

Snape was slumped forward in a chair and Dumbledore was standing over him, looking grim. After a moment or two, Snape raised his face, and he looked like a man who had lived a hundred years of misery.

"I thought . . . you were going . . . to keep her . . . safe . . . "

"She and James put their faith in the wrong person," said Dumbledore. "Rather like you, Severus. Weren't you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?"

Snape's breathing was shallow.

"Her boy survives," said Dumbledore.

With a tiny jerk of the head, Snape seemed to flick off an irksome fly.

"Her son lives. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the shape and color of Lily Evans's eyes, I am sure?"

"DON'T!" bellowed Snape. "Gone . . . dead . . . "

"Is this remorse, Severus?"

"I wish . . . I wish I were dead . . . "

"And what use would that be to anyone?" said Dumbledore coldly. "If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."

Snape seemed to peer through a haze of pain, and Dumbledore's words appeared to take a long time to reach him.

"What—what do you mean?"

"You know how and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain. Help me protect Lily's son."

"He does not need protection. The Dark Lord has gone— "

"The Dark Lord will return, and Harry Potter will be in terrible danger when he does."

There was a long pause, and slowly Snape regained control of himself, mastered his own breathing. At last he said, "Very well. Very well. But never—never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear . . . especially Potter's son . . . I want your word!"

"My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?" Dumbledore sighed, looking down into Snape's ferocious, anguished face. "If you insist . . . " Then, a thought occurred to Dumbledore, "Severus, have you seen Minerva today?"

Snape scowled, "Why would you ask me that now?"

"Just answer me, please."

"No, I haven't, I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Severus, I must ask a favor of you. Could you run an errand for me?"

* * *

><p>And that was how Severus Snape, the Potions Master of Hogwarts, found himself standing in front of a Muggle school. He sighed and walked into the yellow building, greeting a plump, pregnant, Muggle woman with one of his trademark glares down his hooked nose.<p>

"Hello," the woman greeted, "How can I help you? Are you here to pick up a student?"

"Obviously…"Snape trailed off whilst enunciating the word. He peered down at the scrap of parchment that Dumbledore had given him, "Arden Greyson…" he read off.

The woman seemed to lighten up at that, "Oh Arden, she is a darling! Are you her godmother's friend? She mentioned that Arden might be going home with her 'Grandpa Albus' today, but you don't look old enough to be a grandfather."

Snape stiffened. Grandpa Albus? What in the bloody hell was Dumbledore doing when he was supposed to be protecting Lily? "I'm Minerva's colleague," he provided, "Can I just get her?"

"Of course! Of course, right this way," she led Snape down the hall, "May I ask your name?"

"Snape, Severus Snape," Snape curtly said. The woman stopped in front of a door with a childish portrayal of otters painted upon it. Snape inwardly grimaced. Muggles liked to cater to the childish side of their children, rather than cultivating their more mature ways until later on. How he loathed them.

"Arden, sweetie, Mr. Snape is here to pick you up!" the pregnant Muggle called out into a sea of babbling, idiotic, children.

Snape spotted a small brunette child reading at a table, who seemed to respond to the woman's call. She stood up, gathered her things from a cubby, and walked to the door. This, Snape reasoned, was the child he was to watch for Minerva. He looked down his hooked nose at the child, "Arden?" he questioned.

The girl looked up at him with a confident face of her own, "Snape?" she bravely questioned back.

He nodded, and she did in return. He turned and led her out of the room; he was starting to get a headache.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching the apartment building that Minerva had decided to inhabit, Snape noted that he had no way to open the door. He contemplated using the unlocking spell. But, when he reached to take his wand out of his Muggle jacket, the brunette girl took a lanyard off of her neck, a key dangling from it. She just barely reached the doorknob and unlocked the door. She walked right in, replacing the lanyard around her neck. Snape followed, shutting the door behind himself.<p>

He analyzed the transfiguration teacher's place of living. It was small, sparsely decorated with Hogwarts memorabilia (likely to avoid too many questions from Muggles), well filled with books, and otherwise devoid of Gryffindor decorations. That confused Snape. From what he knew, McGonagall took pride in the fact that she was a Gryffindor. She was the head of Gryffindor house for Merlin's sake!

Snape took note of what the child was doing. She was sat in front of the coffee table in the family room, reading again. This child that Minerva had chosen to house was better behaved than most of his seventh year Slytherins. He inwardly chuckled, of course she was, McGonagall was raising her.

Suddenly, she stood up and walked to the kitchen. He followed her, curious of her actions. She opened the Muggle refrigerator and stared inside. She sighed and turned to face Snape, "Would you please get my snack from the top shelf?" she asked.

Snape walked forward and asked, "Which one?"

She pointed fruitlessly, "That one, in the red and black bag." Snape delivered it to the girl. She smiled, showing off her pearly white baby teeth, "Thank you!" and ran back to the table to continue reading.

It…pleased Snape to make this young child smile. His lifelong love might have been killed by the Dark Lord the previous night, but this child was blissfully unaware of any evil in the world. Yes, she knew that her parents were dead because of the same dark wizard, but it seemed as though that fact didn't affect her. She was still happy, full of the childhood bliss of no worries.

Arden was upset. Why didn't her Grandpa Albus pick her up like Minnie promised? She knew something must have happened, so she was iffy about the whole situation. But, Arden had faith in her Grandpa Albus' strength. According to her books, her Grandpa Albus was one of the most powerful wizards in history; a fact that she was proud of.

Arden kept an eye on the hook nosed-man called Snape as she nibbled on her snack. She was wary of him. Minnie had mentioned him now and again, but it was in passing. She disregarded his name like she did Harry Potter's; as unimportant information. She decided to give him a test to see if he was competent of doing _something_. He didn't think to unlock the door, so she had to take that task on herself. She wasn't necessarily hungry, but she wanted to see if he would get her snack for her. Arden watched as Snape walked over to one of the many bookshelves in the apartment and picked out one of the older, more worn books. He then walked and sat next to her by the table. Arden turned the page of her book; she had finished the page before she tested the man.

A few minutes passed, Arden had long since finished her snack of cut up fruit, and she grew bored with reading. She closed the book and turned to face the brunet wizard. She figured she should see how far she could push his buttons. Minnie had a short fuse, and Grandpa Albus let her get away with almost anything, how far could she push Snape? "I'm bored. Can we play?"

Snape sighed and turned the page in his book, "Why should I play with you? You obviously enjoy reading."

Arden climbed on the couch, "Because I'm bored. I've been reading all day because Dan didn't go to school today. He got sick so his mummy didn't let him go to school. Now I want to play~" Arden whined, tugging on the back of his black shirt.

Snape yanked her arm off of his shirt, "I don't play. I refuse to entertain your childlike desires. Go entertain yourself."

Arden pouted, "No. I want you to play with me!"

"I. Said. No," Snape enunciated, turning another page in his book.

Arden hid her glee, she was getting there, "Please? Pretty please with sugar quills and chocolate frogs on top?"

Snape snapped the book shut, "Fine, we will play one game. Will that sate you?"

Arden nodded with a smile that could light up the entire Forbidden Forest plastered on her face, "Yep!" She grabbed his hand and tugged him to her room.

* * *

><p>Minerva walked into her apartment, upset and unsure of Albus' decision to leave Harry Potter with his Muggle relatives. She had watched them all day, and distrusted them. She was glad that she had taken Arden into her custody and didn't leave her in an orphanage. Speaking of Arden, she didn't see her. Minerva immediately panicked. What happened? Where was Arden? Did she get kidnaped? Killed? Her impending panic attack was alleviated when she heard laughter coming from Arden's bedroom.<p>

Minerva made haste to the girl's room only to see something she never thought she would see again, Severus Snape was smiling.

"MINNIE!" Arden launched herself at Minerva. "Snape and I were playing Go Fish!"

Snape stood up and took his coat off of Arden's bed. He walked over to McGonagall, "I'll be taking my leave now. I'll see you tomorrow, Minerva."

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Severus."

"Bye, Snape!" Arden called to the man. He waved as she heard the door close.

* * *

><p><span>4 years later<span>

"Tag, you're it!" Arden, now seven years old, tagged Dan quickly before sprinting in the opposite direction.

"I'm gonna get you!" Dan called after her tearing to catch up to the brunette. When he was close enough, he tackled her to the ground, both of them laughing in mirth. "Tag, you're it!" Dan victoriously exclaimed.

Arden shoved his shoulder, causing him to roll off of her. They panted for a few seconds, catching their breath. Dan stood up, holding his hand out to help his best friend up. He was about to tear off again when, "Ok, kids! Recess is over!"

Arden's amber eyes glinted in the sunlight as she turned to face her blond friend, "Race you back?"

Dan's brown eyes met her own, a determined fire burning in their depths, "You are so on."

* * *

><p>Back in class, Arden was sat with the few female friends she had made over her years of Muggle school; Allie and Ellie. They were fraternal twins, and fit the stereotype in every way. Allie's curly-q hair was such a dark shade of brown that it was almost black, while Ellie's pin-straight hair was so blonde that it was almost white. Allie's eyes were as dark as her hair, and Ellie's were a bright shade of blue. Allie had a very narrow face and Ellie had a rounder face. If their names weren't so similar, one could forget that they were related.<p>

Arden was, as always, stuck in her own head. None of the children in her class, surprisingly, were magical. Not one of them had shown the slightest glimmer of magic whatsoever. Arden knew that magical people were rather rare, even in the Muggle world, but she had hoped that she could show someone her secret without breaking the Statute of Secrecy. She sighed, sometimes keeping the mask of being just a normal Muggle was tiring on the seven year-old.

"Arden, are you alright? You're spacing out again," Allie asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok, just thinking," Arden replied, wondering what she could do about the whole situation. She was analyzing every conceivable outcome that she could, just like this Muggle detective she read about, Sherlock Holmes. Surprisingly, some Muggles believed that he existed. Arden thought that was a laugh.

"Are you sure? Can we help in any way?" Ellie asked, brushing her blonde bangs way from her face.

"Positive," Arden said definitively.

"Ok, kids! Since Mother's Day is coming up, I thought that it would be fun if we made something for our mothers! So today, we'll be decorating tote bags and making paper roses! Doesn't that sound fun?" Mrs. Vincenza, Arden's first grade teacher asked the class.

Everyone, save for Arden, was suddenly filled with glee and energy. Other than Dan, no one in her class knew that she didn't live with her parents. Arden decided to keep that matter a bit secret. For one thing, she figured that Minnie would like it a bit better that way. Minnie enjoyed doing magic around their flat, especially after she told Arden about her childhood (**AN: if you don't know what I'm talking about here, read McGonagall's bio on Pottermore**). Arden also figured that she'd get teased for living with her godmother. It wasn't that she was ashamed in any way, but it seemed like Muggles liked demeaning people who were different. Plus, it wasn't any of their business with whom she lived. Who cares if she lives with Minnie? It wasn't their problem.

But, what would she be doing? Minnie wasn't her mum, she might as well be, but she wasn't. Minnie had made sure that Arden knew her parents loved her; that they died protecting her and the rest of the Wizarding World. Arden knew about her parents, she didn't really know them, but she knew enough to be able to tell people about them if they asked. No one ever did, of course.

Arden walked over to Mrs. Vincenza's desk, while the other students were starting on their paper roses. "Excuse me, Miss?"

Mrs. Vincenza looked up from grading their last spelling tests, "Yes, Arden? How can I help you?"

Arden looked down and shuffled her feet uncertainly. She looked up and met her teacher's eyes and gestured for the woman to bend down. She whispered, "I…sort of…don't have...parents…" She backed away a bit.

Suddenly the older woman laughed a bit, "Arden, sorry I didn't mean to laugh, honestly. You can just make a mother's day gift for whomever you live with." She loved it. Arden was usually so mature and well put together. Seeing her like this, childlike innocence practically streaming off of the young girl, it was almost too precious. It filled the teacher with a sense of joy.

Arden's face fell. Mrs. Vincenza had said that aloud…everyone in her class now knew that she didn't have parents…

* * *

><p>"ARDEN GREYSON!" the janitor, who was acting as a caller for the pick-up line yelled out into the group of students.<p>

Arden rapidly picked up her things and ran out so quickly that almost no one saw the tears streaming down her cheeks…almost. The presents that she had worked so hard on for Minnie were broken, destroyed, and ruined. Arden was right in that people would tease her for not having parents. They did and they took joy in the fact that they could bring someone like Arden down. Mrs. Vincenza had tried to come to Arden's rescue, but she was too late.

When Minerva saw Arden crying, she knew something was wrong. Arden never cried unless it was something big. She took hold of Arden's wrist and brought the girl to an alleyway so that they could apparate home. They usually walked, as it wasn't too far, but Arden was in a right state at the moment.

Upon arriving in their flat, Arden ran straight to her room and shut the door. Minerva followed and quickly performed the unlocking charm on the knob before walking in. Her strong, smart, perfect goddaughter was curled up in a ball on her bed, facing away from the door. She was hugging her bag to her chest protectively as she shook in silent sobs. Minerva's heart shattered, what in Merlin's name happened? "Arden we need to talk about this."

"No."

"Arden-"

"No! I don't want to!"

Ok, that was it, Minerva decided. Arden never, ever, kept secrets from Minerva. Something happened, and with every ounce of Gryffindor determination she had, Minerva McGonagall was going to find out what it was and put a stop to it. "Arden Jamie Greyson, if you don't tell me what happened I will go get the calming draught in the cabinet and force it down your throat," Minerva said in her 'I am the boss around here and you will obey me' voice that she only used on extremely rowdy students that thought they were the ones in charge.

The mention of a calming draught shut Arden up right quick. She hated the taste of potions. The only one she heard tasted good was Felix Felicis. Arden sat up, turned around so that she was facing Miverva, and reached into her bag. She pulled out the tattered remains of a bag and scraps of paper and balled up red and gold pipe cleaners.

Minerva was confused, "What's-"

"It was…" she hiccoughed, still holding back sobs, "Supposed…to be a…present for you…for Mother's Day…But, they…broke it…because…"

Minerva was smiling. Oh, the dear was making her a present. But, the second part of Arden's sentence still bothered her. Her face fell to a scowl, "Who broke it dear?" she made sure to look Arden dead in the eye.

Arden looked away, "I don't want to say…"

"Arden, don't protect them."

"No, Minnie, they broke it because-"

"Tell me who-"  
>"THEY BROKE IT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE PARENTS!" Arden yelled at her godmother.<p>

Minerva was shell-shocked. Arden only got angry when it was something she couldn't control. Even as a toddler, she almost never threw tantrums.

Arden took a calming breath before continuing, "I tried to tell them that you're pretty much my mum, but they just made fun of me; asking why I wasn't in an orphanage or left on the streets. They said that only kids with mums and dads could make Mother's Day and Father's Day presents and such. I got so worked up that I almost did magic, but I made sure I didn't because-"

Minerva cut her off with a hug, "Sweetie, it doesn't matter. It's ok, as long as they didn't hurt you. Presents are just material things, you're not." She planted a kiss on Arden's forehead, "You're special. I can fix the bag so that you can make it again, ok?" She pulled back to look at her goddaughter.

Arden wiped her eyes, "The roses too?"

Minerva laughed, "Yes, the roses too."

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>OK, my lovelies, that's it for today! I'll try to post as regularly as I can! Pretty please review! It makes me happy :) Don't you want the author to be happy? The more happy I am, the more chapters I post! I've had a really s***** week. My mom put my dog down yesterday, so I'm in a very bad place right now...so...yeah...that's also a thing...See you in the next chapter?<strong>_


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: Shout outs have been moved to the top of the story! Yay?**_

_**Mega Shout Outs Go To: EarthTiger, Not A Caged Bird, and Meegles! Y'all are awesome and amazing and ASDFGHJKLPOIUYTREWQAZXCVBNMKLO ***__**dies of happiness that people said they liked my story**__*****_

_**Reply time: **_

_**Earth Tiger: thanks for reviewing and PM-ing and all that jazz!**_

_**Not A Caged Bird: Oh she's going to meet the twins, alright… **__** just you wait. I've had that idea for Snape meeting her for MONTHS! It was actually the first scene I thought of with Arden! **_

_**Meegles: THANK YOU! 3 It's going to go far…hopefully..**_

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_**Shout Outs for favoriting go to: jaeenkil and poisedrose! You two are great!**_

_**More notes at the end of the chapter! Allons-y!**_

* * *

><p>As the days turned to weeks, and the weeks passed to months, Arden grew terrified of going to school. On a semi-regular basis, she'd either come home crying, physically bullied, or both. McGonagall tried to take up the matter with the school, but their ways of "dealing with bullying" were absolutely useless. They took up the matters with the parents, but the parents didn't do anything. Minerva was tired of her goddaughter constantly coming home injured both physically and mentally.<p>

Arden, eventually, became someone completely different than her previous happy self. She grew quiet and receded into herself. Arden rarely showed signs that she was the same little girl that Minerva knew and loved. Dan's mother had pulled him out of Austen Academy when Arden started getting bullied. Dan had, on occasion, tried to stand up for his best friend, but he only got himself included in the beatings. She still kept in contact with him via the telephone and letters. Allie and Ellie had, at first, defended Arden, but they eventually sided with the bullies when they started getting harassed. Minerva had had enough. She was counting the days until Arden turned eleven and received her Hogwarts letter.

* * *

><p><span>Two years later (Arden is 9)<span>

Arden sat in the seat closest to the door for easier access to an escape route should she need one. She glanced towards the back row where her regular tormentors sat. They were glaring at her and whispering under their breath to one another.

Arden tried to ignore them, keeping quiet. It seemed as though any time she so much as spoke they found something else that was wrong with her. They said that her eyes were stupid and ugly. "Who in the bloody hell has amber eyes?" She had gone home with two black eyes that day. Her hair was too frizzy; they tugged it so hard that some pieces broke off. Her skin had too many freckles on it, they punched her wherever they saw a freckle (which was everywhere). Her teeth were too straight. Minerva had to take her to St. Mungos to have Healers fix her teeth; so many had been knocked out.

Things had gotten worse and worse over the years, and her school was doing nothing about it. Arden clenched her fists, she wanted nothing more than to disappear.

When the bell rang, signaling recess, Arden sprinted outside to hide. If there was one good thing that came out of the bullying, it was how fast she had learned to run. She had reached her destination, the dumpster. She crawled under it and waited for recess to be over. She had come up with several different hiding spots all around the school grounds: under the dumpster, in the library, the girls' restroom, the family restroom, up different trees, and when her magic felt up to the task, the roof of the school building. The last one was an absolute last resort and she could never control it; but she was glad when it happened.

Arden was safe for the moment. But, her tormentors somehow had found out about her hiding spot under the dumpster. One of them bent down and yanked her, by the arm, out from underneath the dumpster. They pulled her up and socked her right in the face. Arden held in her cries of pain. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

"Come on, fight back, freak!" "Little weirdo." "No wonder you don't have parents. I'd die too if my kid was as pathetic as you!" The insults were normal for her now. She didn't believe them, but they just added to the atmosphere.

Suddenly, in an epitome, Arden decided that she was done with being bullied. Two years was long enough. Her name was Arden Jamie Greyson, the daughter of Jamie and Alex Greyson. Her parents died fighting for these losers to be able to live their lives freely instead of being the slaves and death fodder for Lord Voldemort. Her parents died protecting her and the greater good of the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds. She was going to make sure they respected her and the sacrifices that her parents had made. She stood up, her magic blazing in her amber eyes. She was done being weak.

"Oh look, the loser thinks that she can stand up to us!" They laughed at her, but Arden didn't care. She stood her ground and her magic did the work. They were suddenly knocked out on the ground, thrown into a wall at a high enough speed to knock them out, and one kid remained standing, the leader of the pack. Arden smirked at him and said one word, "Run."

That's what he did. He ran for it.

* * *

><p>Did Arden care that the Ministry had to get involved and modify the memories of the Muggles involved? No. Did she care that she had to spend another afternoon at the Ministry and wait for Minnie to pick her up? Absolutely not. Did she care that they made sure to see to it that the bullies were afraid of her? Yes, she thanked them repeatedly until they shut her up with some strawberry ice cream.<p>

Minerva was shocked that Arden had gotten violent, but she was exceedingly happy that she seemed back to her old self again. When she walked into the Office of Muggle Afairs to pick up her goddaughter, she did not expect to be greeted with a blur of dark chocolate brown curls tackling her with a squeal of "Minnie!" ringing in her ears. Minerva was taken aback, but she almost cried in happiness, her Arden was back.

* * *

><p>The next day, when Arden went to school, the classroom was eerily still when she walked in. It seemed like her normal tormentors were avoiding her, she couldn't have been more pleased. Allie and Ellie hung around them, avoiding Arden as well.<p>

When class started, the teacher avoided asking Arden questions, as usual. When lunch started, Arden sat alone, as usual. When P.E. started, after lunch, Arden was picked last, as usual. But, when recess started, no one seemed to acknowledge that Arden existed…she wasn't being bullied anymore!

After Dan's mum pulled him out of school, and Allie and Ellie went to the dark side, no one tried to be friends with Arden, for fear of being bullied themselves. Now…Arden could make friends again! But, how to do that? Did she even want friends after what happened with Allie and Ellie? Well, certainly not female friends, they seemed too easily swayed to the opposing side. But she did want a girl friend or two because she needed to be girly with someone. She was sure that any guy friends that she made wouldn't much appreciate painting nails or playing princess…well…now that Arden thought about it, maybe some would, She decided to ask Dan next time she spoke to him.

Arden walked up to a red-headed girl who was sitting by herself on a bench by the swings. She sat next to the girl, "Hi, what's your name?"

The girl turned around, "Delilah Vang."

Arden gave the girl one of her nicest smiles, "Nice to meet you, Delilah. I'm Arden Greyson."

* * *

><p><span>Two years later<span>

"Arden, dear, wake up," Minerva prodded her sleeping goddaughter. It was May 31st, 1989, Arden's eleventh birthday.

Arden groaned, "No, Minnie, I don't want to." She rolled over to the cool side of the bed.

Minerva huffed, annoyed that Arden would prefer to sleep in. Then a thought occurred to her, "If you wake up, I'll make waffles."

Arden jumped out of bed, and sang "WAFFLES, WAFFLES, BIRTHDAY WAFFLES!"

Minerva laughed, today would be a good day.

* * *

><p>Arden screamed in delight with a mouth full of her birthday waffle as she looked out the family room window. She swallowed and called, "Minnie! Minnie, there's an owl!"<p>

Minerva grinned, knowing what it was. "Arden, let it in!"

Arden opened the window, letting the large, grey Hogwarts Screech Owl fly through the window and land, gracefully, on the table. It lifted its leg, revealing a letter had been tied to it. Arden untied the letter and opened it, leaving Minerva to give it some well-deserved water. It was addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

_Ms. A. Greyson_

_The Purple Bedroom_

_Apartment 303_

_Benningham Towers_

_London_

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowing parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. Arden recognized the penmanship straight away as Minerva's.

"Is it?"

Minerva smiled, "Open it."

Arden grinned and tore it open, "Dear Miss Greyson, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Arden read aloud. "Minnie, I'm going to Hogwarts!" she squealed and ran to hug her godmother.

* * *

><p>"Happy Birthday to you~" Dan and Delilah sang as Arden blew out the candles on her eleventh birthday cake. Arden happily smudged her name out on the cake afterwards.<p>

"What did you wish for?" Dan asked curiously as Minerva started cutting the cake.

Delilah smacked Dan's arm playfully, "Idiot, if she tells you, it won't come true!"

"Ouch, Delilah, that really hurt!"

"Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it," Delilah retorted, taking a piece of cake from Arden.

After cake, they retired to the family room, where Arden was opening her birthday presents. She received a set of nail polish and several Steven King novels from Delilah, and a stuffed bear and a photo album from Dan. She opened the album and saw a note in Dan's messy scrawl written on the front cover:

**Tag, you're it!**

**Promise me that you won't forget our jokes, our laughs, our conversations that last till midnight, all the time we spent together, our plans, and our memories. You're my best friend. I'm gonna miss you when you go to that boarding school.**

**Love, Dan**

Arden's eyes filled with tears and she hugged the blond boy, "I promise."

Dan hugged her back, "You're really going?"

Arden nodded into his shoulder, "Got the acceptance letter today."

"I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

Arden felt Delilah join the hug, "I'm gonna miss you too."

Arden laughed a bit, "Guys, I don't leave until September first!"

"But still!" Delilah argued.

Minerva watched the bittersweet moment from the couch, proud that Arden had made such good friends in the Muggle world. She knew that, often times, distance made friendships wither away. But, on rare occasions, distance made the heart grow fonder.

* * *

><p>It was mid August and Arden, dressed in a midnight blue jumper, black jeans, and black and purple trainers, stood in the middle of Diagon Alley. Arden had been to Diagon Alley a few times in her short span of life, but she never quite got over how fantastical it was. The sun shone brightly overhead, there never seemed to be a cloud in the sky whenever she was in Diagon Alley. Shops of all colors, sizes, selling everything from pewter cauldrons to books on love spells lined the curving lane out back of the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley was, easily, one of her favorite places in the Wizarding World. It was never dull, never boring, and there was always something to do.<p>

Arden, gleefully, tugged Minerva along, "Come on, let's get my wand!"

"Not so fast, young lady!" Minerva stood stock still, "We need to get your books, cauldron, potions ingredients-" she started listing off.

Arden whined, "Minnie, that's gonna take forever!"

Minerva smacked Arden behind the head, "Don't whine in public. It will only take forever if you make it take forever." She saw Arden pout, "We can get some extra books at Flourish and Blotts if you like. Maybe make a stop at Rosa Lee Teabag as well?"

Arden absolutely beamed. Any mention of tea, especially a shop that sold her favorite mix (green honey vanilla chamomile with a splash of orange zest) could bring her out of any slump; a trick that Minerva knew well. "Pretty please with sugar quills and chocolate frogs on top?"

Every store they went into seemed to be just one more store stopping Arden on her quest to get extra books and her wand. Slug & Jiggers Apothecary was an interesting store, to say the least. Arden was excited for Potions class, Snape was teaching it, of course. But some of the ingredients used were a bit…unnerving… She really wanted to play Quidditch, but Minerva tugged her away from Quality Quidditch Supplies, "You can try out for the team next year."

Before they went to Ollivanders, they made a stop at Eeylops Owl Emporium. "Minnie," Arden questioned, "Why are we here?"

Minerva turned to face her goddaughter, "Do you really think I'd let my goddaughter attend Hogwarts without a pet?"

Arden's face fell from a questioning expression to a full-blown grin, "Really?"

Minerva gave Arden a little shove, "Go, pick someone out."

Arden walked out of the store with her left hand holding the handle of a cage, containing a male chocolate and white tortoiseshell cat. She had named him Mercutio after one of her favorite characters in Romeo and Juliet. She absolutely _adored_ Shakespeare, but Romeo and Juliet was certainly overrated. She believed that Mercutio and the Nurse were the best characters in the play!

"He's gorgeous, love. But, why a cat? I would have sworn you'd have chosen an owl."

Arden sheepishly smiled from under her hair, "I wanted a cuddle buddy…and most people only get owls to send letters and stuff, right? Well…the only person I could send letters by owl with is going to be at school with me…so…"

Minerva smiled and checked her watch, they had a bit of time before lunch, "Ready for your wand?"

Arden's eyes lit up, "Of course!"

Arden practically sprinted into Ollivanders. All of the non-living things that she had needed for Hogwarts had been shrunken (by Minerva) and placed in this purse that Minerva said was spelled to have an undetectable extension charm on it. Arden was carrying the purse with pride, unknowing that her mother was the one who charmed it eleven years ago. She left Mercutio's cage and the purse next to a chair by the window of the old shop. She confidently walked up to the counter and waited patiently.

Suddenly, Mr. Ollivander appeared from behind the desk, "Ah, Miss Greyson, I was wondering when I would see you here. You look so much like your parents. Just a perfect blend of their features, yes. Ah, Minerva, how are you? Nine and a half inches, fir, with dragon heartstring, correct? How is it holding up?"

Minerva waved her wand, transfiguring herself into her animagus form. Arden smiled, she _loved_ when Minnie turned to her animagus. With a pop, Minerva back transformed and not a hair was out of place.

"Ah, just fine, I see. Now then," he turned his attention back to Arden, "You need your wand, yes?" A tape measure flew out of his coat and started measuring every part of Arden imaginable; from her head to her toes, between her nose, her armpit to her knees, around her head, down the length of her arm, around her waist, her shoulders to the middle of her chest, her belly button to her pupil, even the space between her eyes. Mr. Ollivander seemed happy after it measured the circumference around her hips and said, "That will do, thank you," and waved his wand. The tape measure crumpled to the floor. Mr. Ollivander pulled out several boxes and handed Arden the wand in the top one, "Try this, maple and unicorn hair, twelve inches. Supple."

Arden took the wand, it felt foreign and uncomfortable in her hand. She gave it a swish and all the glass in the shop shattered. She quickly put it back on the counter, "Sorry…"

Mr. Ollivander said, "It's alright. Certainly not that one, oh no." He gave a quick wave of his own wand and all the glass was back in place. He pulled out the next wand, "Holly and dragon heartstring, eight and three quarter inches, willowy."

This one felt even worse, as if the wand hated her. She gave it a wave and the wood in front of her on the floor exploded with a bang.

"Oh dear me, no. Not at all!" Mr. Ollivander fixed the floor while Minerva ran to see if Arden was alright. Arden was, luckily, not injured in the slightest. Arden placed the wand back on the counter and Mr. Ollivander placed the next one in her hand, "Hornbeam with phoenix feather, ten and three quarter inches. Slightly swishy, good for transfiguration and potions."

This wand…felt warm and welcoming in Arden's hand. It felt like something was missing in her hand until this very moment…Arden gave the wand a gentle wave, dark blue and purple sparks shot out the tip gracefully.

"Ah, yes, this wand, a perfect fit. I should have guessed. Your mother had a hornbeam wand. I might be biased when I say this, but Hornbeam wands select their mate for life and their passions will almost always become realized. They become so personalized so quickly that any other witch or wizard who tries to use them will have difficulty with even the most simple of spells. I see a bright future ahead for you, my dear."

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>AN: Does anyone else's family have the tradition of smudging your name off the cake after you blow out the candles? No…just mine? Ok…<strong>_

_**By the way, don't think that the whole phoenix feather core thing is because of Harry in any way, shape or form. I'm using my wand combination from Pottermore because of the description of the ingredients. It seems like a wand that Arden would use. Look up the descriptions that J.K. wrote for Hornbeam and Phoenix feather wands.**_

_**Anyway, please review and favorite and follow and all that cool stuff please! See you in the next chapter!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN: Welcome back everyone! I would have had this out sooner, had I not had midterms :P college sucks sometimes but OH WELL~ Now then, SHOUT OUT TIME!**_

_**MEGA SHOUT OUTS GO TO: Meegles, attlantica, and Applejax XD YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND AWESOME AND ASDFGHJKLOIUYTREWQAZXCVBNMJKLOPLKJHG! *dies***_

_**Reply time: **_

_**Meegles- I wanted to convey how bullying is normally ignored in the school system (as I know it, from personal experience of being bullied). They normally just bring it up with the parents of the accused bullies, who, in turn, are left to discipline their child as they see fit. In rare cases, from what I know, are the bullies punished in school.**_

_**Attlantica- Thank you! I love her too :D**_

_**Applejax XD- You'll love this one, then **_

_**Shout outs for favoriting go to: Applejax XD, Divergentprincess, annie139, attlantica, floorMP, marzipan18 (btw, I'm also a marzipan! Marzia and Felix are SO CUTE LIKE OMFG I LOVE THEM SO MUCH), rsmismine, and serenitymariesnape! You all get cookies and huggles and all the loves!**_

_**Shout outs for following go to: Applejax XD, Divergentprincess, PewterTA99, Takahashi Amaya, annie139, attlantica, and marzipan18! You all get the biggest bear hugs and awesomesauce!**_

_**So, let's get on with the chapter!**_

* * *

><p>Arden woke up the morning of September first rather anxiously. As she got ready for the day, she realized that she wasn't sure what house she wanted to be in. She didn't have a bias against any of the houses. The head of houses, that she had met, were all very nice people (even Snape). She decided that she would ask Minnie.<p>

"Minnie, what house do you think I'll be in?" Arden asked as she tried to keep up with her godmother on their walk to King's Cross.

Minerva looked at Arden critically for a bit, analyzing what she knew about her goddaughter. She was loyal, brave, smart and loved learning, and ambitious…to a point. Eventually, she conceded, "I don't know and it doesn't matter to me. You'll still be you, and that's all that matters."

"Really?" Arden asked with a smile, "Even if I get put in Slytherin?"

"If you do get placed in Slytherin, then they will have gained a wonderful student, now won't they?" Minerva retorted with a smile, "I'm sure Professor Snape would be very pleased to have you in his house." She suddenly stopped, they were a block from the train station. "This is as far as I'll take you, love. I'll see you when you get to school. You'll be going on the boats with Hagrid across the Black Lake. Do you have everything? Mercutio's in his cage," she checked to make sure it was locked, "your ticket," Arden reached into her pocket to show it to Minerva, "your books-"

Arden cut her off with a smile, "Minnie, I have everything, don't worry!"

Minerva smiled, "Good, now you're going to want to run at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, that's how to get to platform 9 ¾," she pecked Arden's cheek, "See you soon, dear." She walked to the alley across the street and disapparated.

Arden walked the rest of the way to the station by herself. She pushed her cart around looking for platforms 9 and 10. "Where is it…?" she mused, starting to get angry.

"Excuse me," Arden felt someone tug on her black hoodie. She turned around and was met with a boy, who couldn't be older than nine, with: blue eyes, more freckles than Arden believed could be on a person at once, and flaming red hair. He looked very nervous, "Are you going to platform 9 ¾?" he asked worriedly. Arden nodded and he seemed to brighten up, "Can I go with you? I got lost..."

Arden gave him a smile, "Of course." She led him around on her quest to find the elusive platform.

He chattered on, talking about his favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. He suddenly stopped himself, "I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley. What's your name?"

Ah, that explained the red hair and freckles, Arden thought. "I'm Arden Greyson," Arden answered easily.

"Where are your parents, Arden? Shouldn't they be here?"

"They couldn't come," Arden disregarded the question. She suddenly spotted platforms 9 and 10, "There it is!" Arden smiled, running at the barrier with Ron on her tail.

The scarlet engine before them was billowing steam. Wizards were bustling around it, entering and exiting the train nonstop. Arden was in heaven. She had made it, she was going to Hogwarts.

Her bliss was short lived, however, "RONALD WEASLEY!" A blur of ginger hair flew in front of Arden's line of vision. Ron was embraced in a hug, but then got slapped on the back of the head by a plump woman, "Don't you go running off like that again, young man, do you hear me? I almost had a heart attack!" She turned her attention to Arden and her face softened quickly, "Thank you so much for bringing him back, dear," she said in the sweetest, most sincere tone that Arden had ever heard.

"It was no problem at all, really," she reassured the woman with a smile.

Another boy with green hair and freckles ran over to Ron's mother. Two, laughing, identical boys with flaming hair and freckles closely tailed him. The green haired boy looked livid, "Mother, Fred and George did it again!"

The three boys, Arden assumed, were all Ron's siblings. Their mother looked exasperated, "Really? Boys we talked about this. You promised to behave!" She turned to the green haired boy and, with a wave of her wand, changed his hair back to a flaming red shade that matched her own.

One of the two laughing boys smirked, "Actually mum, we promised to behave-"

His doppelganger continued, "Only until we reached the train. We're at the train-"

They finished together, "So now we can have fun!"

Their mother shook her head, "Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you two…" She turned her attention to the older of her present sons, "Percy, where's Charlie?"

"On the train already. Would you like me to fetch him?"

She shook her head, "No, it's fine."

While the family conversed, Arden decided to slip away. She walked away from the ginger family and tried to get her things on the train. She was able to get everything except her trunk on board. She underestimated the weight of it.

"Need help?"

Arden turned and was face to face with one of the twins…either Fred or George, if she remembered correctly. Arden nodded, "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks."

He smiled, "Oy George, c'mere and help!"

When his twin arrived, Arden analyzed the two, looking for any differences she could. She noted that Fred's brown eyes were slightly darker than George's, and Fred had a freckle on the back left side of his neck that was absent on George.

The boys lifted Arden's trunk, Arden tried to help but they reassured her that they could do it on their own, and carried it to the compartment that she had chosen to occupy.

"Thank you!" Arden smiled at them.

"You're welcome. I'm Fred and this is George. Don't think that we're related, we just met today!" Fred grinned.

"Yeah, for some reason, everyone thinks we're related. Something about us being identical." George played along.

Arden laughed, causing the boys to smile. They looked at each other, silently communicating. "Mind if we sit with you?" they simultaneously asked.

Arden smiled, "Sure! I'm Arden, by the way. Arden Greyson." She stuck her hands for the boys to each shake.

"Nice to meet you, Arden," Fred smiled.

"Yeah, it's a real treat!" George grinned.

After the twins bid their mother goodbye, they returned to the train and moved their things to the compartment they were sharing with Arden. Upon opening the door, they found Arden reading some book they had never heard of with a large cat on her lap. They put their trunks against the far wall and sat down, waiting for Arden to notice them.

Eventually, she looked up from her book, "Hey guys, this is Mercutio."

Fred grimaced, "What's a Mercutio?"

Arden gestured to her cat, "My cat? That's his name. I named him after Romeo's best friend in Romeo and Juliet." As if to agree with her, Mercutio meowed and rubbed his head against her extended hand. She scratched behind his cheekbone, causing him to purr loudly in contentment.

George gave a questioning look, "Who are Romeo and Juliet?"

Arden's jaw dropped, "Romeo and Juliet? The most well known of Shakespeare's plays?"

The twins looked at each other, "Can't be very well known if we've never heard of it," they said in synch.

Arden was a bit shaky, "Ok, so Romeo and Juliet is out, but you have heard of Shakespeare, right?"

The twins shook their heads no. Arden was appalled, how could someone not know Shakespeare? It was unheard of in the Muggle world. She knew, obviously, that there were Muggle books and innovations that wizards had never heard of or bothered to care about. But, this was Shakespeare! He was a god of literature and poetry.

"Arden, are you ok?" Fred asked.

"You've gone a bit pale…" George elaborated.

Arden shook off the shock, "I'm fine, just a bit shocked that you have never heard of Shakespeare. You two just seem like such jokesters that I thought you would have. He was a genius with comedy, insults, and the like."

The twins had a glimmer of mischief flickering in their eyes, "Really?"

"Oh yeah," Arden smirked, knowing she had them hooked, "A large majority of his plays have some sort of genital joke, insult, or comedic relief just rampant in them. In fact, Mercutio is a minor character, but he's my favorite character in Romeo and Juliet. He's all about having a good time."

* * *

><p>Arden spent about half of the train ride to Hogwarts educating the twins about Shakespeare.<p>

Upon the Trolley Witch's arrival, Arden pulled out her pocket money. She had about eleven sickles, more than enough to buy sweets to share with her new friends. She walked out into the corridor and bought three Cauldron Cakes, three Chocolate Frogs, a tin of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and three Pumpkin Pasties. She sat back down while George was unwrapping two sandwiches. They looked up and saw Arden's arms laden with sweets.

"All that for yourself, Arden? Didn't expect you to be a big eater!" George feigned surprise.

Arden laughed, "No, I bought sweets for us to share, you idiot!" She handed each of them a Cauldron Cake, a Chocolate Frog, and a Pumpkin Pasty.

Fred looked at what Arden had handed him, "Why?"

Arden had already bitten into a Pumpkin Pasty, so she answered with her mouth full, "Why what?"

George picked up on his twin's train of thought, "Why did you buy sweets for us?"

Arden smiled, "Because you're my friends!"

Fred seemed confused, "But we have sandwiches…Our mum made them."

Arden said, "Doesn't mean you can't eat sweets and sandwiches."

George laughed, "Problem solved!" He patted his twin on the back, "We picked a good one, Freddie."

Fred grinned, "We sure did, George."

After their sweets had been consumed, and their Chocolate Frog Cards opened and exchanged (Arden traded her Grunnion for George's Agrippa), they started talking about Hogwarts Houses.

"George and me reckon that we'll be in Gryffindor."

"Why?" Arden asked.

George smirked, "'Cause our entire family's been in Gryffindor! Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, even stick-up-my-arse Percy is in Gryffindor."

"Where do you think you'll be, Arden?"

She pulled a thoughtful face as she stroked Mercutio's short fur. "Dunno, the Sorting Hat will, though!"

* * *

><p>Just before the train arrived at the school, Arden kicked the twins out of the carriage to change into her robes. She let them back in afterwards and waited outside for them to change.<p>

When the train finally arrived at Hogwarts. Arden, George, and Fred jumped off of the train and bolted for the boats.

"Firs years! Firs years over here!" Hagrid the half-giant called out into the sea of children. Arden, gladly, ran over to Hagrid, hugging what bit of him she could reach. "Alright there, Arden?" he patted her back.

The twins, cautiously, walked up to Hargid. Arden grinned, "This is Hagrid. Hagrid, these two are George and Fred," she gestured to each twin respectively.

"Nice ter meetcha," Hagrid held out his free hand for them to shake. Hagrid, Arden, and the twins climbed into one of the boats and rode to the castle, Hagrid narrating facts about Hogwarts along the way.

After they had crossed the lake and Arden hugged Hagrid goodbye, the first years made their way into the entrance hall.

"Arden, how do you know Hagrid?" Fred asked curiously.

Arden smirked deviously at the twins, "Let's just say that my godmother is very well connected to Hogwarts, and leave it there." Arden knew that having people find out that Minerva was her godmother wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she wanted to keep it on the down low just in case people accused Minerva of going easy on her.

The twins nodded in acceptance, but knew they would fish out the information sooner or later. Then, Minerva walked into the entrance hall.

""Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered on Arden for a moment before giving an almost unnoticeable nod and continuing, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," she returned to the Great Hall, leaving the first years alone.

Fred and George grinned, "This is going to be great!"

Arden had been anxiously waiting for this moment for the past eleven years, and the time had finally come. She knew she shouldn't be nervous, but she was. Her hands were shaking and clammy, her head was buzzing with every possibility that could conceivably go wrong, she could hardly contain her…excitement. Yes, she wasn't just nervous, she was also excited, she mused. Of course she was, this was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place she loved coming to as a child to spend time with her Grandpa Albus and many of Minerva's colleagues. It was a treat to come here after she started attending Muggle school, and now she would be here all the time!

Minerva walked back in. Arden must have been thinking for a while. Were the twins talking to her at all during her time inside her head? She would have to ask them later.

"Now, form a line and follow me," Minerva instructed the eleven year-olds. One-by-one, the students walked to the front of the Great Hall. Arden recalled being in here once or twice under Grandpa Albus' disillusionment charm, but it was a different experience being in the hall for her sorting. By far, her favorite feature of the hall was the ceiling. She loved the charm that made it look like the sky above, and wanted to cast it on any ceiling that she came across.

Arden turned her attention back to the front. Grandpa Albus gave her a discrete wink, which she returned. This was going to be a great seven years.

Once the hat started to sing, Arden tuned out. She already knew about the four houses and their values, she had even talked to the old hat on occasion. It didn't have that much to say, but it loved talking about Hogwarts history. Arden had, on its suggestion, read Hogwarts: A History and was fascinated by it. It was a rather dry read, yes, but it did have several interesting tidbits of information that she made sure to memorize.

After the hat finished its song, Professor McGonagall started reading off the names. They slowly made their way down the alphabet, students getting placed, seemingly at random, into each of the houses.

After about half an hour, Professor McGonagall paused, cleared her throat, and called, "Greyson, Arden."

Arden, nervously, made her way to the front. She sat on the stool and made eye contact with Minerva one last time before she got sorted. McGonagall gave her a reassuring smile before dropping the centuries old hat over her eyes.

"Ah, Greyson, I was wondering when I would get to sort you," the hat said to her telepathically. "Now, let's see here…bravery, you've certainly got that…loyalty, only to those you believe deserve it, interesting…you are smart, witty, there's no doubt about that, none at all…oh look at this ambition to pursue your dreams…but where to put you? You don't seem to care, but there is this little preference tucked back away in your head, so far back it's almost negligible. Ah, you want to go there, well it seems to fit you, but Gryffindor seems to fit you as well. Now let's see…" The hat stopped its ramblings and started to think…if hats could think, but then again hats don't sing or talk or read minds either. Arden sat there, waiting for its decision for what seemed like ages. Finally, the hat declared its decision.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>AN: MUAHAHAHAHAHA I AM EVIL! Which house do you all think Arden will be placed in? Leave your guesses in the reviews and, while you're there, may as well review the chapter as a whole, right? You can ask me anything, I'll answer any questions y'all have (as long as they don't have too many spoilers).<strong>_

_**See you all in the next chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**_AN: Welcome back everyone! I would have had this out sooner, but my beta was busy this week… OH WELL~ Now then, SHOUT OUT TIME!_**

**_MEGA SHOUT OUTS GO TO: Not A Caged Bird, guest27, attlantica, and Applejax XD ! YOU ALL ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST PEOPLE!_**

**_Reply time: _**

**_Not A Caged Bird: The more you know *cue music*_**

**_guest27: Well thank you *smiles*_**

**_attlantica: Well….you'll see about the housing and…about the twins finding out about Minnie…. *devious grin* you'll have to wait on that…I have a whole spiel planed for that…_**

**_Applejax XD: ….*smiles and waves* This chapter is your answer!_**

**_Shout outs for favoriting go to: LexxiP, alexsitupper19, and hungergamespetalover! You guys get cake and hugs and…BOOKS, just like Arden! :D_**

**_Shout outs for following go to: AmyB11, Asphodel Fields Production, AureliaPhoenixAnastasia, DarkEmpress192, Full-Of-Hope-2012, LexxiP, RandomAnonymousFanGirl, SoraLover987142, graciekitt99, hungergamespetalover, and tell that to my writer's block! You all get a cookie cake and a Weasley Twin Sandwich Hug!_**

**_So, let's get on with the chapter!_**

* * *

><p>"RAVENCLAW!" the old hat finally announced in a booming voice.<p>

McGonagall, with a proud smile on her face, lifted the Sorting Hat off of Arden's head, allowing her to jump off the stool and join the members of her new house.

Arden walked calmly over to the Ravenclaw table. The centuries-old Sorting Hat had been deliberating for over seven minutes, she was an official hat-stall, just like Minnie. Sitting down next to one of the two girls that had been sorted before her, Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecomb, if she remembered correctly, Arden chanced a glance up towards Minnie. She met Arden's gaze with a slight nod and smile that would be unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know her as well as Arden did. Arden grinned up at her godmother in response. All was well.

The rest of the Sorting Ceremony passed painfully slowly. The only remotely interesting occurrence was when George walked up when Fred was called. No one noticed except for the Sorting Hat, who promptly exclaimed, "You are not Fred Weasley!" Minerva practically threw him off the stool and Fred walked up with the biggest grin on his face. Sadly, both of the twins were sorted into Gryffindor. Arden knew that she was going to make sure that she stayed friends with the Weasley twins.

After the twins were sorted, there was hardly any reason to pay attention to the ceremony, so Arden decided to get to know her new dorm-mates.

Arden tapped Cho on the shoulder, "Hi, I'm Arden," she held her hand out for Cho to shake.

Cho took it, "Cho, nice to meet you."

Marietta joined in, "Marietta Edgecomb, pleasure." She shook both Cho's and Arden's hands.

Cho smiled, "So, looks like we'll be roommates, then."

Arden shrugged, "Looks like we're the only first year Ravenclaw girls."

Marietta smirked, "More closet space for us!"

She and Cho started gushing about clothing and the like. Arden sighed and put her chin in her left hand, a habit she picked up during Muggle school. Suddenly, Arden noticed that the Sorting Ceremony was finally over; thank Merlin.

Grandpa Albus stood up, "Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts. I will try not to bore you too much, as I am sure that we all are anxiously awaiting the feast. But, I would like to say a few words. Here they are: Borborygm! Absquatulate! Flibbertigibbet! Unremacadamized! Thank you." He sat down and the food appeared.

Arden knew that the Hogwarts food was fantastic, so she did not hesitate in filling her plate with pasta, vegetables, anything she could get her hands on. The other first years, from what she could see at the other tables, were a bit more hesitant. But once they took their first bites, lost their hesitation and started chowing down like a herd of starving hippogriffs.

A few minutes into the feast, Cho and Marietta turned their attention to Arden. They figured that if they were going to be spending the next seven years living with this girl, they should at least try to get to know her and befriend her.

"So, Ari, was it?" Cho asked, catching Arden's attention.

Arden shook her head, swallowing her mouthful of steamed vegetables, "Arden," she corrected as nicely as she could manage. She glanced down at her plate and took another forkful of vegetables, they were exactly like she loved them; not cooked too much, but not exactly raw either. She did love raw vegetables, but mostly as snacks or in salads.

Cho nodded, "Right, so what's your family like? Marietta and I were talking and we both come from Wizarding families. What about you?"

Arden paused in her movements. Did she want to tell these girls that she just met that her parents were dead? No, she decided, absolutely not. So, she decided to give as vague information as possible to these two girls. Use past tense when necessary, but not be too specific. "I come from magic, not that it matters. I went to Muggle school to see what it was like; give me a bit of perspective on both sides of the spectrum, if you will."

Cho and Marietta nodded. Marietta spoke up, "Do you have any siblings?"

Arden shook her head, "Only child. What about you two?" Arden decided to turn the conversation back to the two of them; take the focus off herself before they started asking too many questions.

The rest of dinner consisted of Arden answering and dodging whatever questions Cho and Marietta decided to ask, as well as socializing with the first year Ravenclaw boys. Arden did learn quite a bit about her new classmates and roommates; most of that information, however, was inconsequential (such as what blood-status everyone was) and would soon be discarded. In the midst of the dinner, however, the Ghosts of Hogwarts emerged from wherever they were previously dwelling, scaring the living daylights out of the Muggleborn first years.

Arden greeted some of the ghosts with a smile and a quick wave. The Grey Lady greeted the older students, and introduced herself to the new Ravenclaw first years; all six of them.

Arden decided to ask one of the Prefects about the typical size of each first year Ravenclaw class. She answered that Ravenclaw class sizes tended to be small, due to the specific set of characteristics required to get into the House, but there was the random outlier of a larger class here and there.

At the end of the feast, Grandpa Albus stood up, "Now that our bellies have been sated, I would like to make some start of term announcements before we head off to bed. First off, all first years should note that the Forbidden Forest is banned to all students not escorted by a staff member.

"Mister Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes.

"Finally, Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madame Hooch.

"Now, let us head off to bed to sleep off that wonderful meal. Off you trot!" He gestured with his wand towards the elegant, grand doors of the hall, which opened with a loud groan.

The prefects of each house escorted the first years to their respective common rooms.

The trek to Ravenclaw Tower was long, but enjoyable nonetheless. It was on the top of the fifth floor spiral staircase. The group of students stopped before a golden eagle knocker.

The prefect turned to face the group of students, "Each house has its own respective way to get into the common room. Gryffindor and Slytherin each have a password, Hufflepuff has to tap a specific barrel in the beat of Helga Hufflepuff, and we Ravenclaw students have to answer a riddle. Get it wrong and you won't have access to the common room until someone else gets it right."

The prefect turned her attention to the knocker and knocked twice. In a melodic voice, the knocker asked, "Voiceless it cries; Wingless it flutters; Toothless it bites; Mouthless it mutters."

The prefect smiled and turned to the first years, "Who wants to take a crack at it? Come on, don't be shy; there's no punishment for a wrong answer."

Arden looked at her fellow first years. Cho and Marietta turned to each other and talked about what the answer could be. The three boys were also discussing amongst themselves. Arden thought, what could cry without a voice, bite without teeth, flutter without wings, and mutter with no mouth…As if answering her, a nippy breeze came through the window. Arden grinned. She walked to stand in front of the knocker and bravely answered, "The wind."

The knocker commented, "Rather blunt but acceptable," and opened the door to the most beautiful room Arden had ever seen.

It was all varying shades of blue, a wide, circular room, airier than any Arden had ever seen. Graceful etched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue and-bronze silks; By day, they would have a spectacular view of the grounds, forest, and surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the thick midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs, and bookcases filled to bursting with books of all ages. Arden didn't think she'd have to spend too much time in the library. Off in a niche opposite the door stood a tall, beautiful, white marble statue of their house's founder, Rowena Ravenclaw. The statue stood beside a door that led, Arden guessed, to dormitories above. As she gazed at the statue, Rowena seemed to gaze back with a quizzical half smile on her face, beautiful yet slightly intimidating. A delicate looking circlet had been reproduced in marble on top of her head. There were tiny words etched into it; words, Arden guessed, were the words that the Ravenclaw house lived by.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," the prefect interrupted Arden's admiring of the room. She pointed to the statue, "That's what the model of the Lost Diadem reads, and what the original diadem is said to have read. Those words are what define Ravenclaw house, and what we take pride in. Now then," she pointed to the left set of stairs, "The girls' dorms are on the left," she then pointed to the right set of stairs, "Boys' on the right. I must warn you, the girls' stairs are charmed so that only girls can access the girls' dorms. If one of you boys tries to walk up there, the stairs will turn into a slide and force you back down."

Arden, Cho, and Marietta walked up the stairs to the girls' dorms, followed closely by their prefect. The first years opened the door with a bronze '1' on it, and found their beds at long last. The room had three four-poster beds made of rosewood, each hung with dark blue velvet curtains with bronze trim. Next to each bed was a wardrobe and their respective trunks. There was a door opposite the middle bed, which Arden assumed led to the bathroom. Each bed was placed next to a window, giving them a lovely view of the lake and forest as they woke up.

Arden walked to the bed that had her trunk beside it and opened the curtains, revealing Mercutio asleep in the dead center of the mattress. She audibly sighed and decided to get ready for bed before attempting to move the large male cat.

* * *

><p>Arden woke up, the next morning, before her roommates. As she lay in bed, absentmindedly stroking the still sleeping Mercutio, she pondered about inconsequential things: life, her social standing as of last night, how Minnie felt about her placement in Ravenclaw, but also about more serious matters. She had done some reading about Dark Magic, not because she was interested in it, but because she was curious. Eight years ago, Harry Potter, a one year-old baby, somehow had the power to vanquish one of the most evil wizards in history. Logically, that shouldn't be possible, yet somehow he had managed it. How could this infant, who should have died, had Voldemort just thrown him out the window or something of the sort, have killed Voldemort? He couldn't have, so Arden had done some research. She had come to the conclusion that Voldemort wasn't really gone. So where was he now…? She mused over that thought as she cast the time charm. It was about ten of eight, she needed to get ready if she wanted to eat before class.<p>

As she dressed in her robes, it occurred to her that her ties and robes had been changed. Before, the embellishment on her robes was just the Hogwarts insignia, now it was Ravenclaw's, and her ties had changed to the blue and bronze colors of her new house. She shrugged; she knew something along those lines would happen, she just didn't guess it would be overnight. She really should pay a visit to the house-elves and thank them for their hard work.

She walked down to breakfast alone, Cho and Marietta were still sleeping and Arden didn't think it proper to wake them up. She barely knew the girls, what if they got angry at her and decided they didn't like her anymore? As she stepped through the doors of the Great Hall, she shook her head, clearing it of the useless thoughts that buzzed around in it. Today was supposed to be a great day. Today was the start of the next seven years of her life. Today was the start of her Wizarding career.

Arden sat at the Ravenclaw table alone. Minnie was walking around the Gryffindor table, greeting each of her students, both new and old, and handing out their schedules. It seemed that she wanted to get an early start. Minnie looked over at the Ravenclaw table and gave Arden a curt nod. Arden nodded back, understanding that Minnie wished to speak to her after classes.

Professor Flitwick appeared behind Arden, "Miss Greyson, hello. How are you, my dear?" he said with a smile in his squeaky voice.

"Very well, Professor, yourself?" Arden asked the man with a smile.

"Outstanding, I am very excited for this year. I have a very good feeling about your class in particular, Miss Greyson." He tapped a sheet of parchment and her schedule appeared. "I guess I'll be seeing you in class after breakfast, Miss Greyson," Flitwick gave her a smile, which then fell as he rustled through his robes, "...have it somewhere..." he muttered. After a few seconds, he smiled, "Got it!" he held out a small slip of parchment, "Your godmother asked me to deliver this to you," he handed it to her, giving Arden another smile before walking back to the teachers' table.

Arden opened the parchment first, seeing a note in Minerva's elegant handwriting.

_Come to my office after classes_

Arden looked to the teachers' table, catching Minerva's gaze quickly, giving her a smile before returning her attention to breakfast and examining her schedule. She had charms, potions, and transfiguration with the Gryffindors, Herbology and History of Magic with the Slytherins, and Astrology and Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a set of Muggle highlighters. She color coated her schedule and quickly placed the markers back in her bag before anyone could notice.

Unfortunately, the act did not go unnoticed by a certain pair of red-headed twins, whom were watching their dark-brunette friend from across the hall at the Gryffindor table. They looked at each other, then at their schedules, and back at each other.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Georgie?"

His twin smirked at him, "I believe so, Freddie."

Their plan would be put into action just before their first class, Charms.

* * *

><p>Arden walked out of the Great Hall, closely followed by Fred and George. The twins were chattering away on either side of their brunette friend, Arden would occasionally give her input to their discussion. Suddenly, Arden felt a lot lighter and looked down, her bag was gone and the boys were rifling though it.<p>

"Oi, get out of my bag!" she ran over and tried to tug the boys away from her bag.

They brushed her off easily and simultaneously exclaimed, "Got it!" as they lifted her highlighters out of the bag. They turned towards her, "What are these?" they asked in synch.

Arden shuffled her feet, "Highlighters, they're like Muggle colored quills that you use to make text stand out on a page."

They leaned closer to her, "Why were you hiding these?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, they're cool looking!" George pointed out.

Arden blushed, "Because I like using Muggle writing utensils better than quills and ink…I was worried people would think I'm weird."

The twins looked at each other and nodded, seeming to communicate silently. They walked in opposite directions around Arden, lifting up her arms as they passed. Fred stopped in front of her, and George behind. Fred lifted up her chin.

"What do you think, Mister-Doctor-Professor-Scientist Weasley?" Fred asked, making Arden giggle a little as he stared into her eyes and examined her face at an extremely close range.

George lifted her right arm, pretended to examine her elbow, and flexed it a bit, "The diagnosis is pretty clear to me, Mister-Doctor-Professor-Scientist Weasley."

Fred nodded, feigning seriousness, "I completely agree. Miss Greyson, we feel the need to inform you that you are completely-"

"Without a hair of a doubt-" George continued.

"One hundred and ten percent weird," They finished together.

Arden's face fell, but Fred reassured her, "The symptoms include being friends with us, enjoying reading…am I missing anything, Mister-Doctor-Professor-Scientist Weasley?"

George nodded, "Yeah, being human!"

Fred face-palmed, "Of course, how could I possibly forget that?"

Arden laughed, "So being weird is normal then?"

George stepped out from behind Arden and stood next to his brother, "Completely. We don't associate with anyone who isn't a bit on the odd-ball side. We enjoy the spice they bring."

Fred smirked, "And you are certainly a bit weird. What witch who comes from a Wizarding family enjoys reading Muggle books from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?"

Arden grinned at them, pointed her thumbs towards herself and proudly proclaimed, "This witch!"

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>AN: Well that's the chapter! If you would please leave a review, that'd be absolutely amazing! I have many plans for how the first day of classes will go….*rubs hands together manically* The twins and Arden will get into…interesting situations, let's leave it at that…<em>**

**_Well, see you all in the next chapter!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_AN: Welcome back everyone! This chapter just did not want to be written! It took me this entire time to get this out, dear Merlin! Now then, SHOUT OUT TIME!_**

**_MEGA SHOUT OUTS GO TO: Not A Caged Bird, attlantica, Applejax XD, and ZambleTheZombie! You guys make my little heart sing! _**

**_Reply time: _**

**_Not A Caged Bird: Thanks, I love it too! _**

**_attlantica: Dawwwww ~blush~ Stahp! I came up with the idea because she is a but more eccentric (probably because I'm a bit myself) so I figured her using some sort of Muggle organization product would be something she would do._**

**_Applejax XD: Well the wait is over! I got the idea for them being all comforting from OotP._**

**_ ZambleTheZombie: Don't be shy, even a : ) would be much appreciated. But you taking the time to say that you were shy was good! Have an internet cookie ~hands you a cookie~ I want to be one of those authors who's very one-on-one with her readers! Any feedback at all is awesome!_**

**_Shout outs for favoriting go to: ACHA 0.0, BlackBlah5956, CasieGracie96, Mikado X Goddess, Rettop92, Shannyrox101, UponACrowsWing, ZambleTheZombie, klaud9, and le chat noir 95! Thank you all so much, without you, I wouldn't be writing this! I leave you all pie because cake is a lie!_**

**_Shout outs for following go to: ACHA 0.0, B-ballismylife14, BlackBlah5956, CasieGracie96, KnightOfTheWoefulCountenance, NicZ99, SmanthaBlackWhitlock, Sb.012, UponACrowsWing, abbzmay, and le chat noir 95! Thank you all for being the best followers a fanfic author could ever ask for! I love you all!_**

**_So, let's get on with the chapter!_**

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Transfiguration. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall. I shall be your instructor for the next five years, unless you get your OWL in Transfiguration, then I shall be your instructor for your NEWT as well," Minnie lectured to the first year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, which happened to be her last class of the day. She had Arden's class the next day. She instructed her class to take notes as she dove right into explaining the basic concepts of Transfiguration.<p>

After class, she assigned a one-foot length essay on what they had covered to be turned in their next class. She anxiously waited for the students to leave so she could make her way to her office. As soon as the last Hufflepuff left, Minerva waved her wand, quickly organizing her room for the next day, walked out of the room, and locked the door.

Upon reaching her destination, Minnie unlocked the door and slipped inside. She put the kettle on, waved her wand to brighten the room a bit, and pulled out a tin of biscuits from under her desk. She sat in one of the comfy armchairs in front of her desk rather than behind it, as she usually did. She cast a charm on the door to alert her when Arden arrived.

Minutes passed before the charm alerted Minerva. When it did, she called out a happy, "Enter!" Arden walked in, beaming at seeing her godmother. Minnie stood up, embracing her goddaughter, kissing her forehead as she said, "I missed you too, love." She brushed a few stray dark chocolate curls away from Arden's face before leading her to the chair next to hers. "I have the kettle on, tea should be ready soon. Have some biscuits while we wait," Minnie informed her as she sat down. Taking a Jammie Dodger for herself, Minerva asked, "So how was your first day of classes?"

Arden was smiling so wide that Minerva was starting to question how deep her dimples could possibly get. "They were great! I had charms, Herbology, and History of Magic already, but I have Astronomy tonight. I'm not sure if I'm excited about that class…"

Minnie smiled, remembering her own struggles to stay awake for that particular class. "You can do it," she said, placing a bracing hand on the young witch's shoulder. "I used to take a nap after dinner to stay awake.

Arden looked over at her godmother with a slightly sassy smirk upon her freckled face, "I was actually thinking of doing that or doing homework so that I can go to sleep right after class."

The kettle whined that it was ready, interrupting the two witches' conversation. Minerva waved her wand in a slightly random motion, causing it to fly over and land on the desk in front of them. She then conjured two mugs, one red and gold, the other black and turquoise. She walked over to the backside of the desk and retrieved a box of teas, setting it open next to the biscuit tin. Arden selected a strong chai tea, and Minerva a subtle black tea.

As they conversed, Minerva learned of Arden's newfound friendship with the Weasley twins. She had to admit, after seeing and teaching the Weasley twins' older brothers she was rather excited to teach Fred and George. Yes, the night before did stain the perfect picture she had painted in her mind a bit, but she knew, if she had a twin herself, she probably would have done something similar. It's not like these two boys could be any worse than the Marauders…right?

* * *

><p>Minerva couldn't believe it. How could the Weasley family, who had produced students like Bill, Charlie, and Percy, produce those two...those two…demons? They seemed harmless enough, but they were rambunctious, prank pulling, obnoxious, need she go on? As soon as she walked in, they had set off a dung bomb and released a niffler! How in Merlin's name had two eleven year-olds gotten their hands on a niffler on their second day of school?!<p>

What had her mystified the most was that Arden was friends with the two of them. She knew very well that Arden would never aid their trickster ways, would she?

* * *

><p>After Transfiguration, the twins received detention, apparently the first that Minerva had distributed all year, and the first ever to a Weasley child. Arden had helped the twins hide the dung bomb and niffler earlier that morning. They had gotten the niffler from their dorm-mate Lee Jordan, whom was quickly worming his way into their little trio.<p>

"Did you see her face?" George laughed, clapping his brother on the back, "Priceless!"

Arden grinned, "McGonagall looked ready to spit nails!"

Fred smirked, "Imagine Percy's face when he finds out what we did!" Fred and George snickered at the thought, confusing Arden slightly.

She thought back, Percy…she had heard that name before. She wracked her brain for answers, recalling someone of that name with the Weasleys. Ah ha! "Percy was the boy whose hair you charmed green, right? He's your brother!"

George nodded, "Correctomundo, our little Ravenclaw protégé," he patted her head.

Fred threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling Arden into his side, "Actually, he's one of our five siblings. There's Bill-"

"Charlie-" George continued.

"Percy-"

"Ickle Ronniekins-"

"And out darling baby sister, Ginny!" they finished together. They looked at each other, "Arden, do you have any siblings?" They asked simultaneously.

Arden shook her head, "Nope," she said popping the p, "Only child."

The twins' identical faces fell, "No siblings?" George asked astonished.

"What in Merlin's name did you do for fun?" Fred asked.

Arden shrugged, "Read, mostly. I have some Muggle friends that I made at Muggle school that I would hang out with sometimes."

The twins shook their heads furiously, taking one of Arden's hands in each of their own. "That's not the same at all," Fred commented, leading her down the hall.

George nodded in agreement with his brother, "Honestly, you haven't lived until you've had an argument with a sibling about who mum loves more, or even pulling a prank on one of your brothers!"

Arden raised an eyebrow skeptically, "And I suppose you've done that?"

The twins smirked at her, "'Course we have!" they simultaneously chirped, "Do it all the time, as a matter of fact!"

Fred looked over at George, "Should we tell her about what we did to Ickle Ron's teddy, Georgie?"

George beamed, "You read my mind, Freddie."

Arden smiled up at both of them; this aught to be good.

* * *

><p>The days turned to weeks, and it was all too soon time for the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. Fred, George, and their new friend Lee Jordan practically dragged Arden to the Gryffindor stands to cheer for their brother, Charlie. He was playing Seeker, and it was his last year at Hogwarts.<p>

"Fred," Arden tugged on his sleeve, catching his attention from staring off into the distance waiting for the game to start, "What does your brother want to do after Hogwarts? Is he going to join Bill and work for Gringotts?"

Fred grinned, "Even better, he's going to Romania to work with dragons!"

George nudged his way into the conversation, "Yeah, he's talked with Hagrid a lot, and he got Charlie connections!"

Lee joined in, "Really?"

Fred smirked, "Yeah, everyone knows that Hagrid loves dragons. Wants one of his own, but Dumbledore won't let him have one."

Arden frowned, Grandpa Albus let her do anything. How come he wouldn't let Hagrid own a dragon? Some species are rather tame, if you get them at the right age and raise them right. Come to think of it, she hasn't visited Grandpa Albus in a while. She's been visiting Minnie on a weekly basis, sometimes bi-weekly. She needs to visit Grandpa Albus. She resolved to visit him that night.

The game started, pulling her away from her thoughts.

Gryffindor slaughtered Hufflepuff, 450-30! But, Arden thought with a grin on her face as she followed the twins to congratulate their brother, Ravenclaw is going to beat Gryffindor in the competition for the Quidditch Cup this year; she was sure of it.

"Charlie!" Fred and George chorused as they threw themselves at him. Charlie caught them, one under each arm.

"You were amazing!" George cheered, pulling himself away to look at his brother.

"Hufflepuff didn't stand a chance!" Fred agreed.

Lee added, "Your flying skills are amazing! I could never fly like that!"

Charlie beamed, showing off his pearly white smile, "Thanks, we trained hard." He turned his attention to Arden, standing off to the side, "Who's this?" he asked, picking up his discarded broom, "Haven't seen you around the Common Room. You a Gryffindor?"

Fred sauntered over to Arden, throwing his arm around her, "This lovely lady you see before you, dear brother, is Arden Greyson. She's the brains behind our operations at Hogwarts."

George joined his brother on the opposite side of Arden, throwing his arm around her as well, "However we managed to do anything without her by our sides we'll never know."

Lee stood behind Arden, resting his crossed arms on her head (he was much taller than her), "She, unfortunately, is not in Gryffindor. It's her only flaw. She's in Ravenclaw."

Arden, meanwhile, blushed, not from embarrassment, but from being too hot. She struggled and writhed underneath all of the man-flesh that was wrapped around her. "Can you boys get off of me?" she asked, ducking under their grips and freeing herself at last. She ran off when she saw that Fred was going to chase after her.

"Oy, Arden, that's not fair!" Fred laughed, trying to catch his escaped friend.

"Get away from me, you're too hot!"

Fred winked, "That's what all the ladies say."

"Not like that, you freak!"

Charlie laughed, "Got a feisty one there, eh George?"

George smirked, "You have no idea."

* * *

><p>Arden, bravely, made her way to the gargoyle statue that guarded the staircase to Grandpa Albus' office.<p>

"Password?" the gargoyle asked in its gravelly voice, staring at Arden with blank stone eyes.

"Chocolate Frog," Arden confidently replied, smiling as the gargoyle moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase that she was well acquainted with. She skipped up the stairs, getting more and more anxious with each step. What if Grandpa Albus was upset with her for not visiting him all year? What if he didn't like her anymore? Even worse, what if he was upset that she didn't get into Gryffindor, his old house? Her anxiety grew to its climax as she finally reached the grand oak doors that blocked her access to his room. She reached out to knock, but stopped when she heard people conversing on the other side. Should she knock? Should she even be here? Her anxiety told her, "No, leave. He's busy. He'll only be angrier at you than he already is!" but her curiosity won out with its simple argument, "What's going on?"

She meekly knocked on the double doors, causing whoever was talking on the other side to fall quiet. The talking quieted down to whispers, peaking Arden's curiosity even further. After a couple more seconds, Grandpa Albus called, "Enter."

Arden walked, shyly into the room, her face hidden behind her messy dark chocolate curls. "Ah, Miss Greyson, I should have guessed," Dumbledore said, nodding at her. "Severus, if you could wait here, I'll be only a moment, " he requested, putting his hand, calmingly, on Arden's shoulder. He led her out of the room as Snape nodded, sitting in one of the comfy armchairs to wait for the Headmaster.

Arden noted that Dumbledore was leading her to his personal rooms behind his office, a rare treat to say the least. She had, of course, been in there a few times throughout the years, but only when he needed to finish important business or Arden asked to read a book that wasn't in his office nor the library. He tended to keep the best and oldest books to himself; a fact that Arden detested.

He sat her down on the settee in front of his bed and knelt to be face to face with her, "I'll be right back, I just need to finish up with Severus. You are welcome to any of the books, as always, but be very careful with them, alright?" Arden nodded in understanding. Grandpa Albus smiled and pecked her forehead, his long white beard hitting her in the face, as he knew it would.

He walked out, leaving Arden alone in the expansive, elegant room. She examined her surroundings, she never quite tired of this room; there was always something new to look at. The entire room was comfy looking, a deep red shag carpet covered the room, wall to wall with a large, intricately detailed, multicolored rug beneath the bed. The entire room was lined with bookshelves, at least one on each wall, each of which were filled to bursting with books and tchotchkes. The bed itself was a king sized, sleigh style made entirely of maple. The walls were decorated with multiple tapestries from all over the world, Arden knew because Dumbledore often times told her stories of his travels before he became a teacher, and eventually Headmaster. But, her favorite feature of the room was the ceiling. It was enchanted like the ceiling in the Great Hall, to mimic the night sky. As strange as it was, to be in an elderly man's room, Arden could spend all day in her Grandpa Albus' room and be perfectly at ease.

She took a book off the bookshelf, Magick Moste Evile by Gonelot, an interesting read, she knew. If anyone found out about her strange taste for reading about the Dark Arts, she would be promptly banished to hang around the Slytherins for all eternity! But, she couldn't help herself, it was interesting! It's like, she guessed, how a scientist who only believes in evolution and such might enjoy reading the Bible or arguments on why evolution is the work of Satan or something. Whatever the case, Arden liked reading about Dark Magic and that was that.

She was about a quarter of the way into the book when Grandpa Albus finally returned. "You still enjoy reading about the Dark Arts, I see," he commented, sitting beside her on the settee, resting his arm on her head teasingly.

She sighed as she closed the book, committing which page she was on to memory, "Old habits die hard, you know that best Grandpa," she commented as she knocked his arm off gently, standing up to return the book to its place on the shelf closest to the door.

"It's not good to read things like that, Arden. It might sway you negatively," he warned.

Arden took out her wand, "_Wingardium Leviosa_," she charmed the book guiding it carefully back to where it once was, "Grandpa, just because I enjoy reading about the opposing side of the war against the Dark Arts doesn't necessarily insinuate that I'll be doing any of it. I'm just researching it for my own intents and purposes," she replied calmly, as if she knew he would bring up that same argument.

"And those would be?"

Arden smiled, "A secret," she retorted, hoping he would drop the subject,

Thankfully, he did, "What brings you by today, my dear?"

"It came to my attention while I was at the match today that I haven't visited you once since my arrival here. I thought that needed to change, as I have been visiting Minnie on a weekly basis."

"Ah, Minerva did mention that."

"You've spoken to her recently then?" Arden was taken aback, slightly.

He nodded, "Just this morning, in fact. We had tea before breakfast and discussed how the first years were doing in her class. We did speak of you, of course, and how you were getting on."

Arden blushed, "I'm sorry for not coming to visit sooner, Grandpa."

Albus' eyes twinkled in mirth, "It's alright, my dear, you were busy making friends. Minerva mentioned that you were particularly close with the Weasley twins."

Arden smiled, a mischievous twinkle similar to his appeared in her amber eyes, "They're funny and enjoy my take on things. After the match, Fred told his brother Charlie that I'm the brains behind their Hogwarts operations, and George said they don't know how they ever managed without me!"

Albus smiled and led her back to his office to continue their conversation over tea.

* * *

><p>As Arden made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower, her nose was deep in the book that she convinced Grandpa Albus to lend her; Magick Moste Evile by Godelot. She knew that she would have to hide it from absolutely everyone, but she didn't want to leave without it. Godelot was one of the many wizards rumored to have owned the Elder Wand at one point! He thought it a teacher, and followed, what he assumed to be, its ways and teachings, all of which resulted in the book. She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice that she was reaching one of the many staircases scattered throughout Hogwarts. She kept walking as she normally would and fell, the book falling out of her hands and down the stairs with her. She tumbled uncontrollably and hit the bottom with a sickening crack. She knew no more.<p>

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>AN: Oops I did it again! I leave you with a cliffie! I am back to just about normal with my inspiration with this so I should, hopefully, get another chapter out this week…hopefully and no promises.<em>**

**_Well that's the chapter! If you would please leave a review, that'd be absolutely amazing! _**

**_Well, see you all in the next chapter!_**


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